Walls
by Traumen
Summary: A coming of age story. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognise.

* * *

The morning dawned bright and quiet, the soft noises of Beth's father on the stairs so deliberate Beth had to smile to herself as she lay awake in bed. It was her 18th birthday, and her father did not want to disturb her sleep on her 18th birthday. She nestled down into her bed, not wanting to get up just yet. The clicking of her fan was steady and constant, the heavy curtains drawn to block out the sun. It was going to be a beautiful day, and she couldn't wait to see what her parents had bought for her. Beth's mother had only smiled slyly when she had asked for a hint, and even Maggie had refused to say anything or spy for her. Beth had known better than to ask her father. A stubborn man, if the present was to be a surprise, she wouldn't hear anything about it from him. He had given her a few knowing smiles which had only fed her curiosity. Maggie had gotten a new phone and concert tickets for her 18th, and Shawn had gotten new stereo for his truck and one of those Swiss army knives (which it was safe to say she could rule out). Maybe a new phone? Or an iPod? Maggie's phone had eventually been passed on to her, and was one of those old Nokia's. She often wished she had an iPod or something so she could listen to music on her way to class. She felt like such a dork when she brought her Discman once, and had quickly gotten bored of the album she was listening to. She had never been so excited for her birthday, which is possibly why she had woken of her own accord at 5 am. Her birthday had luckily fallen on a day with no classes, so Beth had planned on sleeping in – a rarity in her family. "Everyone has jobs to do", her father would say. You could not simply laze around. Today however, that is just what Beth Greene was doing. She must have dozed off again because the next thing she knew was awaking to the soft sound of knocking.

"Beth?" Her mother slowly opened her door. "You awake honey? Breakfast is ready."

When Beth finally came downstairs she found the whole family in the dining room as well as Otis and Patricia, and what could pass as a spectacular breakfast buffet on the kitchen bench.

"Happy Birthday Bethy," her father kissed her on the cheek. Beth beamed at everybody as they wished her happy birthday, as well as Maggie's boyfriend Glenn who arrived late (apologising profusely), and they enjoyed eating the breakfast Beth's mother had spent all morning putting together. Beth wasn't sure if she should be surprised or not that Maggie had stayed over the night before, as she knew she had class in the morning; then again, she knew that Maggie often skipped class anyway. She didn't miss the looks that Maggie and Glenn exchanged, and it made her truly happy to know that Maggie had found such a great guy. Glenn was struggling to pay his way through college, working as a pizza delivery boy. Beth admired him, he did what he had to do to make a better life for himself, and possibly one day for Maggie too. Otis and Patricia were really sweet; they had brought some homemade jam to go with the scones Annette had baked and some muffins. Beth couldn't have asked for a better way to start her birthday. Finally though, when the dishes were cleared and the girls cleaned everything up (Beth included, she insisted), Hershel appeared in the doorway.

"Bethy, come on outside," he smiled. Slightly puzzled, Beth and her mother and sister followed Hershel outside where Beth stopped in shock. Parked in front of the house was a car she hadn't seen before, next to Patricia and Otis' truck. Somebody had stuck one of the red wrapping bows they used to wrap Christmas presents on the hood, which made the car look slightly comical. It was one of those Jeeps with the top you could take down that looked to be around 10 years old, but well maintained. Beth couldn't stop the face splitting grin that broke out.

"Thank you Daddy!" Beth turned to Hershel and hugged him tightly. He chuckled, and watched her fondly as she turned to Annette.

"Thank you Momma," she hugged her mother. "This is really…too much," she said as she turned back to stare at the car.

"You're telling me," Maggie said dryly, but smiling nonetheless. Both Maggie and Shawn had saved up and bought their own cars by the time they were 18, but Beth had never been interested. She had never needed one, until she had started going to college. She had been saving her money for a while, and the hour and a half it took to get to college by public transport, or more specifically by car, bus and train, was starting to really wear on her.

"You can thank Maggie and Shawn too," her mother whispered to Beth. She bounded over to Shawn and practically tackled him, laughing.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cried, as Maggie joined the hug.

"Otis got a good bargain on it from a friend…it's about time you got a car." Hershel nodded at Otis while he talked.

"Thanks Otis!" Beth couldn't stop grinning, and hugged Otis and Patricia too. Shawn and Maggie were grinning broadly as they watched Beth practically bounce around the yard.

"Now, it's not perfect Beth. It needs a couple of things fixing, and new tyres. A car is a lot of responsibility, and you need to take care of it. Now, Bill will do a good deal for you, we've been going to him for 30 odd years now so –" Hershel stopped as Glenn made a noise. "Glenn?"

"Uh…well, I guess you didn't hear…but Bill's is closed." Glenn shuffled his way through the sentence, and it alerted everyone that Bill hadn't just gone fishing for the day. "Burnt down, last night. I drove past it this morning, had a look. All the windows were smashed and it was set on fire, place was completely destroyed."

Hershel stared at Glenn for a moment, as Annette covered her mouth in shock. Beth was speechless.

"Um…but Dixon's do a good deal," Glenn offered, upon seeing everyone's shocked faces. Hershel seemed to snap out of his reverie. Beth looked across at Glenn sharply at the name 'Dixon'.

"No one is going to Dixon's, I'll bet any money Merle Dixon is the one that lit the match." Hershel's voice shook as fury took hold of him.

"Well Daddy where is Bethy gonna take her car? Nearest one 'sides Dixon's isn't for miles." Maggie put her hands on her hips, now examining the car as though hoping a mechanic would pop out from under the hood.

"Daryl's all right, he helped me out when my car was stuffing up." Glenn said quietly, not looking at Hershel anymore but at Beth, who he had noticed wasn't looking at her father but was listening to him closely.

"That the younger one?" Hershel asked, eyes still narrowed. Glenn nodded, and Hershel scoffed. "He been in jail too?"

Glenn looked confused for a second, and shrugged. "He's not much of a talker, he just replaced the alternator."

"Sounds like Dixon's is my only option for now," Beth said to no one in particular. Hershel sighed, looking at the car, which now seemed to be a source of tension.

"Beth, you are not to talk to Merle Dixon. I don't even really want you talking to Daryl Dixon, so keep it short, tell him what you want and leave."

"I can go with you Bethy, if you want," Shawn offered.

"No, that's ok, thank you," Beth smiled at her brother. Inwardly, Beth was nervous. Sure, she knew about Merle and Daryl Dixon, just like everyone else in their town. Rick's Café, the diner Beth worked at a few times a week, was just a few doors down from Dixon's (as you could say for just about any shop in the small town centre) and she had seen the Dixon brothers around, usually covered in grease, and had even served Daryl Dixon coffee once. It had been a couple of years ago, when she had started working at the diner and first been warned to stay away from the Dixon's. Her hand had shaken as she had poured the coffee and she swore his eyes had shone with amusement as he'd taken the cup from her. He had never come into the diner again, at least not when she was working. Rick's had exactly two pictures on the wall: one a poster for _Casablanca_, and one of their local Sheriff, Rick Grimes, from some community event years ago. The latter was behind the counter, because otherwise he'd have been defaced ages ago. Sheriff Grimes was a regular at the diner and at Dixon's, but not because he needed his car fixed. Both Dixon brothers were regular participants in bar brawls, and warrants had been issued a number of times to search the premises. They never found anything. Merle Dixon had been dishonourably discharged from the army years ago and had come home to take over their father's business, bitter and simmering with rage. Merle Dixon never came to the diner and Beth seriously doubted he drank anything other than liquor. Of course…despite their reputation, a couple of the girls at the diner did not mind when Daryl Dixon would walk by, at which Beth would just shake her head. You couldn't take him home, he was nothing like her ex-boyfriend Jimmy. Clean cut, polite and content. They'd had an amicable break up, and she didn't regret their time together. Jimmy had been good with cars too, she recalled, as she looked at her new responsibility. She wanted it fixed and ready to go for that weekend, as Maggie, Glenn and a couple of her friends were going out to celebrate her 18th somewhere in the city. And now she had to go and ask Daryl Dixon to fix it?

* * *

Daryl Dixon slammed the hood shut, while dragging his arm across his forehead, spreading the newly formed sweat and mixing it in with grease. Beth felt queasy looking at him.

"It's a lemon." He waved his arm at the car, stepping back.

Beth blinked, on hearing the last words she expected to hear come out of his mouth.

"What?" She stuttered.

"Lemon." He grunted, now squinting at her. Otis had towed the car over to the Dixon's garage early as Beth had class that afternoon, and luckily Merle Dixon was nowhere to be seen. Probably keeping low since he burned down Bill's, she thought angrily.

"What…does that mean? Can't you fix it?" Beth asked.

"Should'a had it checked 'fore you bought it. This here's been smashed in, and the body replaced, ya see the paint spray here?" He ran a finger along the wheel, and sure enough Beth could see faint marks. "Someone did a half assed job puttin' it back together. Looks like a sweet ride till ya turn the engine on, so no, I can't just fix it." Daryl Dixon looked around the garage as he spoke, never really meeting her eyes.

Beth was starting to feel really irritated. Just yesterday she'd been on top of the world, telling all her friends she had a car, and now Daryl Dixon was telling her how it was a lemon and that she should have had the car checked like it was all her fault.

"I didn't buy it, it was a present," she snapped, before catching herself. He stared at her before snorting.

"'Scuse me princess, didn't realise. Well, ya Daddy should'a checked it."

Beth shook her head. "They bought it off a friend." Some friend, Beth thought. She looked up at him then, an imploring look in her eyes.

"Isn't there anything you can do? Can't you replace the parts? I've been saving money," she spoke almost desperately. He was silent for a while.

"Is it ya birthday?" He finally asked, shifting awkwardly on his feet. Beth blinked in surprise again.

"It was…yesterday. My 18th birthday." She smiled hesitantly, resting her hand on the side mirror of the car. It looked like such a good car; surely he could make it work. He just nodded slowly, sucking his lips in.

"I can sell the parts, take it to a scrapyard…get ya some money for it." He mumbled, chewing on his thumb for a second.

Beth sighed, taking her hand off the side mirror. "Uh…how much money?"

He squinted at her. It seemed that was Daryl Dixon's usual look.

"Ya don't get much for scrap…I reckon 4 or 5 hundred at the most, stripped down."

"Minus your cut…" Beth murmured.

"Don't worry 'bout it. 4 or 5 hundred." He stated flatly. It was Beth's turn to squint at him, before she smiled shyly.

"Thanks…Daryl."

He didn't say anything, simply motioned for her to follow him out of the garage. She filled out some paperwork in the shop and wrote her contact details down while she heard Daryl outside barking orders at someone named Martinez, whom he didn't seem to care much for. Although it was possible that barking was his standard way of communicating. She was already dreading telling Daddy that the car was faulty, and it looked like Maggie would have to drive this weekend. Beth was pondering the weekend's plans when Daryl stomped back in, stopping short at seeing Beth still leaning against the counter. He seemed to wrestle with himself for a second, before he stepped forward and abruptly took the papers from her. He snatched a pen from the opposite end of the counter and started scribbling something. Beth watched with wide eyes, wondering how exhausting life must be when anger has seeped into every action. He thrust the papers at Beth, glaring at her.

"If ya got any questions, ring this number, 'kay?"

Beth took the papers slowly, curiosity plain on her face. "'Kay…why?"

He sighed, and started backing away from her. "Just don't ring here, all right? I'm doin' you a favour." Daryl snapped as he glared at her again, before stepping out of the shop. Beth crossed the shop and stood in the doorway watching him join Martinez (she assumed) in front of a car, thumb in his mouth as he glared at the car while Martinez talked. Daryl glanced back at the shop, and Beth stepped back abruptly, but too late for him not to have seen her. She grabbed her bag from the counter and left quickly.

Beth walked the familiar walk to the bus stop, sitting down heavily. She felt a bit confused…why couldn't she call the shop?

* * *

A/N I've been writing this since mid December, and I was going to wait until I had basically finished the story but I have a bad feeling about the end of this season so I thought I'd post this now in case I get pissed off and delete the whole thing. This is basically a coming of age story, hopefully for both Beth and Daryl. Updates will be random, as I don't get a lot of time to write. Also, I know nothing about cars or scrap metal, which is probably quite obvious, and I will use Australian English.

Thank you for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks had passed since Beth's birthday. As she had predicted, Hershel's reaction to the car was not pretty. Otis had been livid, but after he and Hershel had visited the "friend" who had sold Hershel the car, they had returned considerably disgruntled but there was nothing they could really do; Otis had been told the car had problems. It was ridiculous really, but there it was. Beth informed her father of what Daryl Dixon had offered, and Hershel had immediately gone to the phone. Beth had hurriedly given him the number Daryl had written down, which she had since entered into her phone. Beth had been somewhat relieved that he hadn't questioned the new number, as even though there was no reason for him to be suspicious about it she just didn't feel like explaining why she had Daryl Dixon's private phone number – especially when she didn't really know why herself. Beth had listened to Hershel's end of the conversation tensely, but at the end of the phone call he seemed surprisingly satisfied. Satisfied that Beth hadn't been taken advantage of at least, but not about the car completely, nor of Daryl Dixon's customer service skills. Maggie hadn't minded driving around that weekend for Beth's birthday in the city. Beth and her friends Laura and Maddy ended up crashing at Glenn's apartment as both Maggie and Glenn were too drunk to drive back, but overall it was a fun night.

Two weeks…and no word from Daryl Dixon about the car. She wasn't sure if it was the reason he'd told her not to phone the shop, but she had a feeling he had known she would get impatient. Beth stared out at the highway from her window seat on the bus, her phone in her hand. She had scrolled through her contacts, stopping at Daryl Dixon, closed it, and opened it again.

Every trip into college and back seemed about 50 hours longer than the last, and Beth would usually experience a moment of annoyance or two when she got on the bus. She would be the first to admit that she was spoiled. The youngest in the family, she had been doted on from the moment she came to be. She was starting to think maybe this car was a good thing though. Maybe this was it…her parents had been telling her for months that she needed to take on more responsibility. Did they honestly think that meant _giving_ her a car? Beth decided that she would take whatever money Daryl Dixon got for that lemon, give him a cut (no matter what he said, she was giving him something). Everyone had insisted she keep the money from the scrap metal, and at first she had flat out refused. However, Hershel had pointed out that if she didn't take the money, she wouldn't be getting any birthday present, so she was starting to relent. She would buy her own car, and she didn't need her parents to do it for her. Even Daryl Dixon was spoiling her. He hadn't charged for the inspection of the car, and his refusal to take any money from selling the parts or scrap metal was weighing heavily on her mind. Daryl Dixon just wasn't known to be so nice…the only good thing she'd ever heard about him was from Glenn on her birthday. He certainly had a rough exterior, but his offer to sell the parts seemed at odds with that. Beth knew that wasn't part of their services.

The bus pulled up to the bus stop where she could see her father standing, waiting for her. She sighed. She had gently suggested to him a couple of times to stay in the truck, but on the other hand it was a nice sight to come home to after a long day in classes. Hershel smiled as Beth gave him a peck on the cheek, and they walked over the road to the truck. The drive was mostly silent, until Hershel cleared his throat.

"I was talking to Sheriff Grimes today…Merle Dixon is in prison."

Beth gasped. "He did it? They got him?"

Hershel shook his head, looking torn between anger and…disappointment? Why he would be disappointed, Beth wasn't sure. Merle Dixon in prison was good for everyone (except maybe Merle Dixon). Beth was even sure it was good for Daryl Dixon.

"He was in prison a week before the fire. They don't know who did it."

Beth was silent as she processed this information. She had been more interested in why she couldn't call the Dixon's shop than in who set the fire at Bill's, Beth reflected guiltily. Bill Weatherly had been around their place for lunch one day, but Beth was at class. Annette had told Beth that he was waiting on the police and insurance company to finish their investigations before he could find out whether or not he would be covered for the damages. It seemed no one had even noticed Merle Dixon's absence around town. He was in and out of prison so much people had stopped talking ages ago.

"His brother has an alibi, so it wasn't him either."

Beth breathed out air she hadn't been aware she was holding in. "Good."

Hershel raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. They drove in silence the rest of the way home.

After they'd had dinner and Beth had showered, she sat down at her desk to write a short paper she'd been given earlier in the day due tomorrow on the myths of sex and gender. She logged on to her laptop and sat there for a few minutes, browsing the internet and messaging a few people. Glancing at her textbook, she opened her browser and typed into the address bar _used cars_. Beth scanned the results and opened a couple of tabs, eyebrows furrowed. The cars were expensive, and she played around with the search refinements. She wasn't sure which make of car to pick and ignored most of the other selections like fuel type or cylinders.

Beth had already realised that even if she knew which make of car to pick or what she was looking for, she needed a mechanic to look at the car before she bought it. She wasn't going to make the same mistakes as her father and Otis, who had clearly trusted their "friend" too much. That "friend" Franklin Abbey was really just someone Otis had done work for over the past 5 or so years. It was safe to say Otis had withdrawn his services, and their friendship was no more. The chances of Bill not telling her parents were slim; they had been going to him for 30 odd years, and Beth wanted this to be a sure fire surprise. She shut the browser, her mind chanting _ask Daryl Dixon_. Beth knew him hardly at all, but she knew if there was one thing she could count on him to do it was keep his mouth shut. She could picture his glare and his angry movements in her mind. Something was, and had been, wrong in his life. In his upbringing. With an older brother like Merle Dixon, she supposed he hadn't had much of a chance. She could picture him walking through the car yard as easily as she could see her laptop in front of her. Pushing any further thoughts on the Dixon brothers out of her head, she started her paper.

Would he even agree to help her?

Beth pushed her chair away from her desk in exasperation. She was being ridiculous! She would just message him, about the car parts, just to get something going. A phone call might be a bit too…confrontational for him (and her), and he could reply when he wanted. She was still being ridiculous, but at least she was actually planning something, she thought wryly. After about ten minutes of absurd deliberating, she stared down at her phone. The message read: _Hi Daryl, its Beth Greene, just wondering how you were going with selling the car parts?_

She quickly pressed send and sat back in her chair wondering why it was such a big deal.

* * *

A bit of a short chapter.

Thank you so much for your reviews, follows and favourites, and for reading. It is really appreciated, and a pleasant surprise!


	3. Chapter 3

Three weeks now. Three weeks and no word about what was happening with her car (she still technically owned it) was getting ridiculous on Daryl Dixon's part. Which was how Beth found herself standing inside the Dixon's shop, waiting for Daryl Dixon to finish talking to Mr Whitley. She knew he'd seen her walk into the shop; even from across the yard she had seen him pause in the midst of talking. She could see him gesturing impatiently now, looking back at the shop while Mr Whitley shrugged in his usual slow manner. He was about Beth's father's age and was a kind, gentle man, who Daryl Dixon obviously had no patience for. She fought back a smile as Daryl held a finger up to silence the man, and took off jogging towards the shop. Martinez was walking towards the shop as well, before stopping as Daryl crossed into his path. They exchanged a few words, and Martinez nodded, turning back towards Mr Whitley.

She turned away from the window, not wanting to stare out at him while he walked towards her. She heard him reach the shop and turned hesitantly to see him standing still, watching her from the doorway. He was covered in grease and dirt as usual, and it looked as though he ripped the sleeves off all of his shirts. There were small tears scattered through the shirt probably sustained while working on the cars and his pants might have black, once upon a time. They were ripped at the knees and practically grey from dust and dirt. Beth was surprised a black cloud of dust and dirt wasn't visible around him.

"I haven't sold anythin' yet. We're busy." He stated abruptly, entering the shop slowly, his presence filling the entire room.

"So why couldn't you have just messaged me back?" Beth asked just as abruptly as she stared at him, not wanting to leave without making her annoyance known. He stared right back at her, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Dunno, maybe cos we're busy?" He leaned back against the counter.

"It would have taken you 'bout 30 seconds to reply." Beth was starting to feel silly but she resolved to stand her ground.

He cleared his throat, straightening up from the counter. "Look, you know Bill's went down in flames, my brother's gone, so I don't. Have. Time. Haven't forgotten 'bout it."

He turned to leave, but Beth wasn't finished.

"Wait!"

He stopped and turned to her, clearly tense.

"Thank you. I should have known you're busy, but I really appreciate it anyway." She was blabbing, and her mind was already trying to backtrack to see if what she'd said even made sense. "But…I was wondering if you could help me with something else."

If anything, he looked even tenser by the time she finished speaking.

"I want to buy a car."

His expression didn't change in the slightest, but she knew she'd surprised him.

"I want to buy a car, and I don't want my family to help. I just…need some help with what to look for, and I want a mechanic to check it out before I buy it." She bit her lip, still feeling a little nervous and reached into her bag. She had printed out a few of the cars she had looked at the night before for him to have a look at, and offered the folded pieces of paper to him. He glared at the pieces of paper and Beth wanted to stamp her foot in frustration, but took a small step closer to him instead.

"Please?" Beth tried to smile at him but it probably looked more like she'd eaten something sour for breakfast. "There's no rush, if you could just look at these and let me know if they sound all right, or if there's one in particular worth looking at…" she trailed off. He huffed out a breath and abruptly snatched the papers from her outstretched hand.

"How much money ya got?" He asked, scanning the pages.

"Three thousand. Is that enough?"

Daryl sucked in his lips, pausing at one of the pages. "It'll do." He glanced at her quickly, and then looked out the window where Martinez was still talking to Mr Whitley.

"I'll look at 'em," he held up the papers and started backing away from her. Beth knew she'd said there was no rush, but she at least wanted a timeframe.

"And you'll let me know…in a week?"

He paused at the doorway and smirked at her. "Maybe," he said before stepping outside, leaving Beth standing alone in the shop. She pursed her lips, watching him stuff the papers in his pocket as he walked towards Martinez and Mr Whitley for a minute and then slowly headed to the bus stop, feeling an extreme case of déjà vu.

She huffed out a breath as she sat down on the bench when she finally reached the bus stop, searching in her bag a little more aggressively than usual for the reading she needed to have done for the lecture she was attending that afternoon. The one good thing about travelling to the city by public transport was that she always got her readings done for class. Her attention during her classes that day drifted a little, the lecturers' voices becoming a dull noise in the background as she hunched over her laptop, browsing cars for sale online.

Beth barely even noticed when her last lecture ended, but hurried once she realised she was going to have to seriously leg it to meet Maggie. Beth knew how much Maggie missed living at home (especially since she lived in a tiny apartment with four other girls), even while she loved her newfound independence and life in the city, so Beth had suggested they go out for dinner once in a while. Glenn was coming too, of course. Beth had agreed to meet Maggie a little earlier at a coffee shop, and they would meet Glenn at the restaurant after he had finished work. By the time Beth got to the coffee shop she was sweating slightly, but she made it just in time to see Maggie walk in just ahead of her.

"Maggie!" She tapped her on the shoulder, grinning. They hugged quickly and found a table and a couple of couches in the corner.

"You're likin' your course then?" Maggie asked, in between sips of her iced chocolate.

"Yeah, it's really good! I got a couple of assessments due next week to do though." Beth sipped her own iced chocolate, glancing out the window at the people walking by.

"That's good," Maggie smiled at her. "Shame 'bout your car, did Daddy say anything about buying another one?"

Beth blinked at Maggie, inwardly panicking a little. The thought of their father buying another car hadn't even crossed her mind.

"No…" she replied slowly. "He didn't say anything. I don't think he should though."

Maggie furrowed her eyebrows, looking puzzled. "Why not? I wouldn't say no to a car!"

"I just…I think maybe it's a bit too much, ya know?"

Maggie nodded, looking thoughtful. "Maybe it is, but if Otis got a good deal, it was something for you that you really need. You can't keep travelling back and forth like you are Bethy, what happens when you have a class that finishes after 5?"

This was something Beth hadn't really worried about too much, but after 6 pm the buses to their area started running hourly instead of every half hour, and they added a couple of extra stops as well. In between study, work and travel Beth would end up stretched pretty thin. Beth knew a couple of people who had classes that finished at 6 pm, but it wasn't very common and none of Beth's classes this semester finished after 5 pm. Next semester though she might not be so lucky.

Beth stirred her iced chocolate with her straw. "Yeah, I know. I was thinking I should get my own car though."

Maggie smiled. "Better start saving then."

Beth smiled back, nodding slightly. "Yeah, I know."

They sat for a few moments in comfortable silence.

"So…um, you like Glenn right?"

Beth was torn from imagining the looks on everyone's faces when she unveiled her new (but old) car by Maggie looking at her a bit uncertainly.

"Of course! Why?" Beth asked, suddenly very curious why Maggie was looking a little shy.

"We've been going out for a while now, and we were thinking of moving in together?" Maggie's eyebrows got higher and higher as she spoke, her voice ending on a questioning note but Beth could see that this was happening. Her question wasn't about whether or not she was going to move in with Glenn; it was what her family thought about it.

"That's great Maggie, really," Beth said, smiling softly at her sister. Maggie visibly relaxed, and launched into all the details of when she was moving and how Glenn had asked her. Beth was overjoyed for her, but she didn't mention anything about their parents. Moving in together and not married…she wasn't too sure how happy they would be. On the other hand, they loved Glenn and they didn't exactly have much control over what Maggie did, so Beth could easily see them just accepting it with a few heavy hints about marriage.

It wasn't long before it was nearly 6 pm, and they headed over to the Italian restaurant Maggie had picked out to meet Glenn for dinner. In true Glenn fashion, he was already there when they arrived, waiting patiently outside. His face lit up when he spotted them walking towards him, and he kissed Maggie quickly before giving Beth a hug.

"Ladies," he smiled, holding the restaurant door open allowing Maggie and Beth to enter. She immediately felt better upon entering the air conditioned room, the curtains half drawn to block out some of the sun and low lighting above the sea of chequered tablecloths. Glenn and Maggie allowed Beth to pick a table, and they spent a few minutes examining the menu. Beth already knew what she was getting, but she looked at the menu nevertheless. She cast a sidelong glance at Maggie, who looked up with a small smile.

"Lasagne?"

"Lasagne," Beth nodded affirmatively, grinning.

"Pfft." Glenn scoffed. "That's boring."

"Oh yeah?" Maggie looked at him. "Let me guess…spaghetti bolognaise?"

Glenn stared back at her, blank faced. "It's a classic Italian dish."

"Oh, and lasagne's not?" Maggie rolled her eyes at Beth, smiling. The waiter took their safe, somewhat predictable orders and Beth waited until he had left to congratulate Maggie and Glenn on their big move.

"Thanks Beth, I knew you'd be thrilled," Glenn replied, smiling warmly at Beth.

"So, you'll have a spare room now huh? So…people can stay over?" Beth asked slowly with a sly smile.

Glenn and Maggie glanced at each other, confused.

"Actually, T-Dogg is staying." Glenn spoke first.

"Maybe once I graduate we can afford it on our own, but it'd be too much pressure if T-Dogg moved out," Maggie explained, shrugging. "'Sides, ain't like T-Dogg is annoying or anything."

That was true, everyone loved T-Dogg, who really just lived there during the week while he worked. Weekends he travelled back home to be with his family, wherever that was, Beth wasn't sure. Beth was still surprised that he wasn't moving out but she covered it well and lamented not being able to get her own room.

"You always have a place on our couch Beth," Glenn said, sarcastically sincere as usual. Beth stuck her tongue out at him and he grinned. The couch Glenn spoke of was quite uncomfortable, as Beth had found out the other weekend. When a waitress brought their food out, Glenn asked about Beth's car.

"It's still at the garage, I'm not sure when I'll hear from, um, Daryl."

"He still gonna sell it for scrap metal?"

"Yeah," Beth responded hesitantly. "I asked him 'bout it this morning and he said he's busy."

"I'll bet," Maggie muttered, a dark look on her face. Beth knew Maggie didn't trust either of the Dixon brothers as far as she could throw them. Hell, probably not as far as Beth could throw them. There was a brief silence, Beth sending a silent prayer that whoever set the fire was found soon.

"So…how's work Glenn?" Beth cleared her throat, trying to change the subject. To her surprise Glenn sighed heavily.

"Not great, they've cut a couple of my shifts. Teenagers don't cost as much," he rolled his eyes. "It's all right though, they've done it before and given them back once they realised how lazy they are."

Beth nodded. "We are a bit lazy."

"Hell yeah you are!" Maggie nodded emphatically, grinning.

Beth feigned outrage. "Hey!"

Glenn, very wisely, said nothing.

After having a mouth-watering tiramisu for dessert, Glenn and Maggie walked Beth to the train station and Beth settled in for her 3 hour journey home. By the time her father picked her up from the bus stop she was having trouble keeping her eyes open. They rounded the corner and bright lights flashed, Beth scrunching her eyes shut before slowly opening them. Two police cars were parked outside the Dixon's shop, lights ablaze in the night. No doubt they waited until they thought no one would be at the shop. Her father slowed the car down, and she could see Daryl standing by the car, arms folded tensely, next to Deputy Sheriff Walsh while Sheriff Grimes stood nearby questioning who looked to be Martinez. Another Officer, who Beth thought could have been Officer Basset, was standing at the entry to the shop. Beth tore her gaze from the sight to her father, who looked at the scene grimly before speeding the car up again, leaving the flashing lights behind.

* * *

AN: Thank you for your lovely reviews, and for reading :)


	4. Chapter 4

It was finally Saturday, and Beth was taking a break from her assignments to help her mother bake as a practice run for the markets next weekend. It had been a peaceful morning; her father was out in the fields, her mother was taking a nap after baking for 3 hours straight and Shawn was about to leave to go into town to run some errands for the farm. The sounds and smells throughout the house were comforting in their familiarity. Beth was just setting out a tray of blueberry muffins when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a hand slowly reaching for one of the muffins, which she promptly slapped away, turning to Shawn with a mock glare.

"What?" He asked, an innocent yet outraged look on his face.

"You'll burn your tongue on 'em if you have one now," Beth warned, but stepped aside nonetheless. Shawn immediately snatched one of the muffins off the tray, tossing it back and forth before practically throwing it back down. Beth handed him a plate.

"Thanks," he said, a little sheepishly. Beth just nodded, unable to hold back smiling a little 'told you so' smile. He rolled his eyes in response and started rifling through the drawers for cutlery. Beth checked her phone, expecting it to be her friend Maddy but instead Daryl Dixon's name appears on the screen, above four words: _I got your money_. That was it. She stared at the screen, thinking fast.

"What is it?" Shawn asked around a mouthful of what must have been a steaming hot muffin.

"Oh…nothing," Beth shook her head, stuffing her phone back in her pocket. "Hey, are you leaving soon?

"Yeah, in a couple of minutes, why?"

"Daryl's got my money from the car, so could I get a ride with you?"

Shawn finished chewing before answering. "Sure…was that who just messaged you?"

Beth hesitated for a split second. "Yep…I gave my cell number as the contact."

Beth left a note on the fridge and Shawn grabbed two more muffins before they headed into town. Beth leaned her head against the window looking out at the fields as they drove, feeling as though she was living in a memory etched into her brain. The drive into town was one she had taken a thousand times but it was only recently that she had begun to realise that one day she would leave this place behind, and one day she would very likely miss these drives. It was rare that she and Shawn would sit in silence, but not a word was spoken until they reached the shops.

"Outside the Dixon's shop?"

Beth leaned forward, staring out the window as they approached the diner. "Um, just outside work. Thanks Shawn," she smiled at him as he slowed the car down to a halt outside the diner. Beth figured while she was here she could check if her shift times for the next day had changed. She entered the diner, the air inside cooling her skin. Carol was at the counter, serving customers – the dregs of the breakfast crowd. Absentmindedly, she started arranging the salt and pepper shakers on the tables as she walked through the diner, until she reached the counter. Carol finished serving the customers and turned to Beth with a smile.

"Hi Bethy, want somethin' to eat?"

"Oh no thanks Carol, just checkin' my shift tomorrow, 6 am till 2 right?"

Carol glanced behind her at the doorway to the kitchen before answering, lowering her voice.

"Actually, Beth, would you mind workin' till 4 and closing up?"

Beth tilted her head, eyeing the doorway before suppressing a sigh and smiling instead though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Sure, whatever you need."

The sounds of Ed, Carol's husband, from the kitchen spurred both women into an agitated state, Carol picking up the bottle of disinfectant and roll of paper towels and Beth mouthed 'see you tomorrow' to Carol before hurriedly leaving. Ed and Carol Peletier owned Rick's Café, although Ed was rarely ever there. However, no one ever complained about this because it was much better for everyone when he wasn't around.

From what Beth pieced together, Ed was usually passed out by the afternoon. Sometimes Carol would ask Beth to cover for her and she would disappear to who knows where, and Beth would do it without question, after all Carol was her boss. But that was before she noticed the bruises, and realised there was an ugly, hidden layer to their marriage. That was about a year and a half ago. Beth would still work whenever Carol wanted, but she would occasionally probe where Carol would go or what she was doing, as gently as she could. Possibly even worse than discovering what happened behind closed doors between Ed and Carol was realising that _everyone knew_. Everyone! Sheriff Grimes, Deputy Sheriff Walsh, her own _father_, even Mr Whitley would know. They knew and did nothing about it. Well, perhaps she was being harsh. She knew that Sheriff Grimes had tried but Carol would not admit to any wrongdoing by Ed. The poster of Sheriff Grimes behind the counter must feel like a twisting knife in his side whenever he came by the diner. Ed would eye him smugly, but shrink under his stare like a coward.

It was especially rare for Ed to be at the diner on the weekend, and Beth was glad to escape back into the heat without Ed noticing that she was there. Ed always made her feel quite uncomfortable, he would leer at her and other girls, uncaring that his wife was in the same room. She walked along the street, waving to a couple of people as she did so. This time she noticed Ed's truck parked a little further down as she crossed the street. Beth wasn't sure if she'd like living somewhere where you didn't know everybody, but she knew she wanted to try it someday.

Beth felt a slight fluttering in her stomach as she approached the Dixon's shop but ignored it as she purposefully strode towards the door, glancing about the yard for any sign of Daryl Dixon. The shop was closed and she couldn't see anyone inside. The smell of the yard was distinct and already familiar to her, metal and oil. When Daryl Dixon was telling her in the garage that the car was a lemon she'd been struck by how masculine it was; it was clear whose domain it was. Now, standing in the empty yard, she could let the smells invade her senses. It wasn't unpleasant. She peered into the shop again, holding her hands up to shield against the sun as she looked through the window. She looked back out at the yard, fishing her phone out of her pocket. She probably should have replied to him to let him know she was coming, although really she'd thought that was pointless anyway since he didn't seem to respond to messages. Just as she found her phone, she looked up to see Daryl Dixon driving into the yard in the Dixon's tow truck. Beth watched as he brought the truck around to the shop and parked it at the side, under the sheltered area. She hovered around the doorway, waiting while he got out of the truck.

He finally appeared from around the corner, sweaty and his black shirt sleeveless (as usual) exposing his toned arms, not looking at her as he fished his keys out of his pocket, unlocking the door. He entered the shop first and she followed him in. She watched as he tossed his keys behind the counter and dug into his pocket, taking out a fistful of cash.

"There, ya money." He grunted, holding it out to her.

"Thank you," she said as she took the money. He met her eyes for a second, nodding, before looking away again. He left the shop abruptly, and she began counting the money slowly. Five hundred and fifty dollars…Beth couldn't suppress the smile that spread across her face. She looked up just as Daryl walked through the doorway, carrying a quiver of arrows. His eyes snapped to her but he immediately averted them, opening the door next to the counter and disappearing into the room, walking back out a second later without the quiver, closing the door firmly behind him.

"Here." Beth held out $50 to him. "It's your cut."

Daryl stared at the money, his face seemingly void of any emotion. Beth faltered, unsure if it was too little.

"I ain't taking any of your money," he said finally.

"Yes, you are. This is me," she stepped forward, holding out the bank note, "thanking you for helping me, so please take it," she thrust the money out.

His eyes narrowed. "I ain't taking it, now get." He gestured to the door. Beth didn't move.

"Look princess, I got what you asked for, now I got things to-"

"I never asked you to do this," Beth cut in, her voice calm but firm. "You offered. It was a really nice thing of you to do, so I would like to repay you."

He shook his head. "Ain't nothing…keep your money."

Beth considered him for a moment. By the set of his jaw, she realised he wasn't going to take the money.

"Well...I owe ya one then." As Beth said it she thought it sounded a bit lame, but she appreciated his efforts. He huffed out a breath, looking very much like he wanted to roll his eyes, but this time he didn't argue with her.

"Anythin' else?" He probed, when she didn't seem to be leaving.

"Oh, um, yes, have you had a look at those cars? For me to buy?" Beth clarified.

"A look at 'em?" He squinted at her.

"I mean, just at the print outs I gave you. If any of 'em were worth checking out?" Beth looked at him earnestly. He nodded slowly.

"Yeah…yeah they all seemed all right, was thinking 'bout maybe checking one out next week, got a day off." He rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke, his face scrunched up in thought.

Beth's eyes lit up. "Oh, which day?"

He eyed her, his face shifting into a blank canvas.

"Ya ain't coming." He stated flatly. He sounded even more resolute than he had been about not taking her money, but in this instance there was no way in hell Beth was backing down. Her eyes narrowed, locking on to his as she raised her chin slightly.

"I need to look at the car as well, Daryl," she said firmly. "There is no point in you goin' to look at it without me there. If the car turns out to be all right, I'm the one who makes the decision."

He shook his head. It was clear that neither of them were willing to back down.

"Won't jus' be lookin' at one car, I can tell you which one you want to have a look at out of the bunch."

"You can tell me? Daryl, how can you tell me when you don't even know me? I'll be the one deciding which car I buy." She tried to keep her tone from being antagonistic, but still firm.

Daryl's jaw clenched.

"What if they all turn out to be good?" She pressed.

"Then you can pick from a picture, can't ya?"

Beth silently counted to three. "I won't pick the car I buy from a picture."

They stared at each other, arriving at an impasse. Beth supposed she was lucky he wasn't just refusing to do it, but then she was learning that Daryl didn't seem like he would go back on something he'd given his word to do. To Beth it was simple; she was buying the car, she was making the decision. It didn't matter how good a mechanic he was, she would be driving it.

The silence seemed to stretch out, but must have only been a few seconds before Daryl rolled his shoulder.

"Fuck's sake…It's an hour's drive from 'ere, the car I was lookin' at. Figured I'd start there."

Beth's face lit up.

* * *

He had grit his teeth throughout the entire discussion, but Beth had finally gotten Daryl to agree with everything. The shop was going to be closed on Monday, which Beth luckily had free as well. He'd said he would come by the farm at 9 am, at which Beth had then panicked and insisted he picked her up at her friend Vanessa's house. He had immediately realised why, and nodded while she had explained that her parents would be home. He'd then suggested that he pick her up at 10 am, which she'd gratefully agreed to. Her parents would think it strange that she was going to Vanessa's house at 9 am. They would still think it was weird at 10 am, but she rarely got to see Vanessa in between class and work lately so they'd probably accept it without too much thought. Beth was just waiting for Daryl to find the print out of the details of the car, before she would leave.

He strode out of the room next to the counter with two sheets of paper clutched in his hand.

"Here…this one we'll check out Monday, and this one, I crossed off…two door car. You ain't gettin' a two door car."

Beth nodded, accepting the papers. She'd noticed that once he was actually talking about the cars, he was a little more comfortable.

"How're gettin' home?" He asked, while she folded the pieces of paper up.

"Oh…I was gonna wait at the diner till Shawn gets back," Beth replied, thinking that would probably be all day. She wouldn't mind though, she could keep Sophia company while her mother worked. It was either that or she walk, which she'd done before plenty of times but didn't really feel like today. If Ed was still at the diner she probably would though.

"S'not a good day to wait around at the diner," Daryl said, giving her an even look. Beth met his gaze, nodding slowly; realising there wasn't a whole lot Daryl wasn't aware of.

"Well, I figured…if I can't wait around there I'd just walk," she shrugged, smiling slightly at him. To her surprise he sighed, before grabbing his keys from behind the counter.

"C'mon then," he grunted.

Later on Beth surmised it was the most awkward drive home she had ever endured. Not that she wasn't thankful, she was grateful for the offer even if he acted like he'd rather be sitting on a bed of nails. She found herself studying him out of the corner of her eye, trying to be discrete but clearly failing. He shifted in his seat until he finally looked at her, his blue eyes narrowing, and she resolutely met his gaze just for a moment. She wasn't going to act all silly and flighty; she was just curious about him. She would ignore the urge to look at him again; to check his reaction. She was just curious.

* * *

Not long after she was home, Beth called Vanessa.

"So…you're coming over on Monday, but you're not actually coming over?" Vanessa asked, her voice flat.

Beth winced. "Uh…yeah. Oh, I can come by later in the afternoon!"

"I have class."

"Oh, right."

Beth paced around her room, unsure of what to say. She'd really been banking on being able to go to Vanessa's as she knew her parents would both be at work.

"What is this for anyway?" Vanessa asked, curiosity clear in her tone.

Beth explained the situation to her, feeling more and more like a bad friend. She hadn't been keeping Vanessa up to date on much of anything lately. She was expecting a lot of questions when she finished.

"Beth…you should be careful with him. I mean, he helped Austin pick out his car but…it's different, you're goin' with him _alone_."

Beth took a step back in surprise. Her train of thought had never even taken that path. If anything, her personal experience with Daryl Dixon had strangely never made her feel like she was in danger or that he would try anything. It clashed with Daryl Dixon's public perception.

"Well, I can't exactly ask anyone else to help me if I want it to be a surprise…it'll be fine," Beth spoke firmly.

"All right…well I'll be home at 10, I leave for class around 11 so it's fine by me."

* * *

Later on that afternoon Beth sat by the pond out in the fields, listening to the crickets. Her back against a tree, she flipped through her phone occasionally, looking at photos from graduation with Vanessa, Maddy and Jimmy. They looked so happy, and so close. It was hard to believe that was only a few months ago. She never saw Jimmy anymore; apparently he was working over near Macon as a labourer. Vanessa hadn't been able to make Beth's birthday, and she went to a different college. Maddy went to the same college as Beth so she still saw her quite often, but she could feel things changing. She wondered if she should forget the car and move to the city. If she managed to get a job in the city…there was no work these days. Bad economy, people kept saying. The sun hung low in the sky as she pondered. She heard footsteps and she glanced around to see her Mum walking towards her. She sat down next to Beth when she reached the tree, reaching out to hold her hand.

They watched the sun go down together.

* * *

Thank you for the follows, favourites and reviews, and for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Beth awoke early on Monday morning with a groan, twisting in her bed as she stretched. It had been a while since she had done a full day at the diner, and when she'd gone to bed the night before her feet had felt like they were on fire. She had shuffled to church the night before with her parents, her arm linked in her mother's, and had wished she'd brought a cushion to sit on during the mass. She had collapsed in bed early, utterly exhausted. She lay back in bed for a minute before she remembered that she was going to check out a car with Daryl Dixon. She forced herself out of bed, stretching for a moment when she stood up. Frowning, she turned to her wardrobe. She rifled through all her dresses before remembering he'd said it was an hour away, and she assumed they were going to be driving in his truck. She opted for a pair of ripped jeans, an old plain white shirt and her old chucks.

She entered the kitchen downstairs to see her mother on the phone, her apron on and a freshly baked loaf of raisin bread on the counter. Beth cut a slice and toasted it, peering out the window waiting for the timer to go off, noticing her father's truck wasn't there. She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was 9 am. It would take around half an hour to get to Vanessa's house if she walked fast, cutting through the fields. Beth quickly buttered the toast after it popped up. She kissed her mother on the cheek, receiving a quick smile in return before she resumed her conversation on the phone, and Beth grabbed her bag from the front hallway before hurrying out.

She kept her eyes on the ground, feeling the sun shine down on her, eating as she walked. Despite the heat, she had worn a shirt with three quarter sleeves, conscious of the fact that she could be standing around in the sun a lot during the day. She passed by the church, and headed on to a trail which would lead her back out to the road. Finally she arrived at Vanessa's, finding her friend sitting on the front porch.

"You walked here?" Vanessa asked, by way of greeting, her eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, my Daddy's out working," Beth replied, shrugging as she walked up the steps.

"All right, well…you've only got 'bout 20 minutes till he gets here. Wanna cup of tea?"

Beth smiled. "Sure."

They sat in Vanessa's kitchen; Beth feeling like it was just old times again, with the radio on in the background playing country music. She glanced around the kitchen while Vanessa made the tea, looking fondly at the familiar paintings and family portraits adorning the walls. Vanessa chatted about classes and the boys in those classes, and she'd barely gotten to have any of her tea when there was a loud knock on the door.

"That must be Daryl…I promise it won't be as long until next time," Beth stood up to hug her friend, who smiled back, returning the hug tightly.

Vanessa walked her to the front hallway where Beth grabbed her bag. Vanessa opened the front door for Beth to step out and see Daryl standing at the edge of the porch, his back to her. Her first thought was that he was wearing sleeves…and that was weird. He turned around, and for possibly the first time that Beth could remember his face wasn't marked by grease or dirt. His hair even looked a little lighter. He was wearing a leather jacket, which hid his sinewy arms, and she found herself missing them. Despite her noticing his physique when he was wearing his seemingly endless supply of sleeveless shirts (it must be laundry day for him not to wear one), it was almost as though having them covered up made her notice him more.

"You ready?" He asked by way of greeting, shifting his feet impatiently.

Beth blinked. "Um, yep!" She smiled at him, a bit too brightly, before glancing back to wave discreetly at Vanessa who looked quite amused.

They walked out to the end of the driveway past the line of trees that obstructed the view of Vanessa's house from the road, and Beth stopped short at what was parked there. Not the truck.

His motorcycle.

"Daryl?" She said, her voice uncertain.

He glanced around at her, and she could have sworn for a second he was smirking.

"Yeah?" He grunted, slowing to a stop.

"I've…never ridden a motorcycle before."

He shifted on his feet, squinting at the bike for a second.

"First time for everything." He said shortly, before continuing to walk towards the bike. Beth felt like there was a flurry of butterflies in her stomach, all of them desperate to escape. She hurried towards the Daryl and the bike.

"No, Daryl, really, I…" she trailed off, feeling really nervous.

"Ya don't have to come if you don't want to," he said, picking up his helmet. She stopped short.

"Seriously?" She said, incredulously.

"Yeah, seriously you don't have to come."

"You took the bike on purpose." Beth's tone was flat, her hand on her hip.

Daryl didn't say anything, his stare fixated on the road in front of them.

"Screw you Daryl Dixon, I'm coming with you."

* * *

Beth wasn't sure which one of them was more annoyed but eventually they'd both gotten on the bike. If he were Shawn, she would have punched him in the arm. He'd only raised his eyebrows at Beth's insult, and she assumed that out of all the insults he'd heard in his life that was pretty tame. In addition to Beth's anxiety over riding a motorcycle, once she'd actually processed what that involved her anxiety had only increased. She was hesitant in wrapping her arms around Daryl. He'd snorted and asked if she wanted to fly off the back, and she'd tightened her grip so fast she felt his whole body stiffen. She felt his body pressed against hers; his tense shoulders bunched up practically around his ears before he finally relaxed. She felt claustrophobic in the helmet he'd handed to her, but she would never say so. She couldn't believe his nerve, or the fact he thought she'd run off at the sight of the bike. She kind of almost had, but at the end of the day Beth would never back down. At least, that's what she liked to think.

Once the bike was moving towards the road and the engine roared to life, Beth's heart seemed to leap into her throat and back again but she just pressed herself against Daryl, all inhibitions she'd had two minutes ago mere ghosts in her memory. Right now, he was her rock.

Daryl accelerated, and any coherent thought in Beth's mind was left behind at Vanessa's house. Beth's fear channelled into pure exhilaration. The wind rushing past them, the trees almost blurred together and the fields rolled by them. Beth relaxed slightly against Daryl, but kept a strong grip around his waist. She couldn't quite shake the image of her flying off the back of the bike.

* * *

Beth watched the trees go by as they twisted their way through the roads, barely any other traffic to be seen. The road started to rise as they approached a lake. They had only been riding for a little while, maybe 20 minutes but Beth couldn't really tell, when the bike started to sputter and jerk until finally Daryl had to pull over. They were at the top of a ridge, overlooking the lake. Beth got off the bike first, using Daryl's shoulders for leverage. She immediately backed away allowing Daryl to dismount the bike and took off her helmet. He removed his helmet and placed it on the ground, his thumb immediately going to his mouth as he surveyed the bike, kneeling down next to it. Beth observed the scene for a moment, glancing up and down the road. The trees on the other side of the road were dense, and on the other side of Beth the ground dropped sharply giving way to the vast expanse of water, glittering in the sun. Beth approached Daryl slowly, arching her neck to see what he was doing. His hands were already coated black, as he worked on the bike.

"'S'an old bike," Daryl muttered. "Fuel line…" he tossed a quick look at her over his shoulder. Beth shifted her feet, suddenly keenly aware of how badly she needed to go to the toilet.

"Um…I'll be right back," Beth informed him. He looked up at her, confused.

"Goin' swimming?" He asked dryly, squinting against the sun.

"I need to pee!" Beth declared, staring into the trees across the road, checking for cars before she crossed the road making her way into the dense wilderness. She walked until she couldn't see him before she squatted down, feeling her face heat up briefly despite Daryl not being able to see her. By the time she got back Daryl was looking frustrated, a small toolkit by his side as he fiddled with the bike. The niggling but persistent feeling of doubt crept into the back of Beth's mind that perhaps he wouldn't be able to fix it, and she tried to act extremely casual as she asked how it was going.

He made a noise, something halfway between a snort and a grunt, and responded with a confidence inspiring: "not fuckin' well."

Beth took that as her cue to remain silent. Feeling a bit useless, she walked over to a tree to sit under the shade, keeping an eye on Daryl as he worked. She fished her phone out of her pocket, checking the time and saw they'd been driving a little longer than she'd thought. Then she noticed the lack of signal. Fantastic, she thought. She called out to Daryl to let him know, but he didn't give any indication he'd heard.

Beth huffed out a breath and stared out over the lake, until she Daryl leaned back on his hands, looking over at Beth. She got to her feet, walking over to him and joining him on the ground.

"Needs a new filter," he explained. Upon seeing her blank expression, he elaborated. "It needs a new part, which I don' have here, which means we gotta walk."

"Walk?" Beth repeated, unable to keep the incredulity out of her voice. He glared at her.

"Princess, don' make me repeat myself again." He pushed himself to his feet, glaring down at her. "Does it look like I got a whole garage up my sleeve? It's just us out here. I'm not sayin' walk the whole way, just to the next town," Daryl practically spat. "Good Lord, thank Christ no one ever asked me to babysit." This time he did spit, on the ground next to the bike. Beth flinched, and Daryl in turn recoiled. Beth got to her feet, glaring at Daryl.

"I think I know why they never asked you," Beth threw his words at him. "I'm not sure whether it was stupidity or childishness, or both, that you brought that bike today," the words tumbled out of her mouth, anger fuelling her as she stood her ground. Beth was done with his volatile temper.

Daryl whipped around, his gaze killing anything further she wanted to say. "You wanna talk about childishness?" He asked, quietly, and the abrupt change struck Beth deeper than if he had yelled.

"Why're ya out here with me? How come you ain't asked Bill to do this?" He gestured at the bike.

"Because –" Beth started to speak, her eyes narrowing, but Daryl cut in effectively cutting her off.

"Ya don't want ya parents knowing, right? They got you that car, cos it sure as shit time for you to get one, and now you wanna take responsibility, right?"

Beth nodded slowly. "Yes," she replied softly.

"An' ya out here with me, lyin' to them, making me sneak around like a fuckin' teenager? That sound _adult_ to you? You wanna prove to ya parents that you're _responsible_? That you're an _adult_? Just fuckin' ask them to help you find a car!"

There was a long silence, before he turned away from her and started packing up the toolkit and throwing it back in his bag. Beth took the opportunity to hastily wipe her eyes. She'd never been spoken to like that before and it hurt. She turned her back on Daryl, listening to him move around, before she looked back to see him start walking, guiding the bike along. He stopped, his shoulders hunched before he looked at the ground. He turned back, regarding Beth for a moment.

"C'mon."

Beth looked away, out over the lake at the glistening water before she quickly wiped her eyes again, and followed him.

* * *

Beth trailed after Daryl while they walked; she didn't really feel like talking to him after he'd basically yelled at her. All of what he had said had been true, to a degree. She was feeling particularly foolish after finding herself stuck out here with him when no one in her family knew where she was and with no reception on her phone. On the other hand, all she had wanted to do was surprise her parents. She didn't want to be their 'little girl' anymore. Was it fair of her to put Daryl in this position? If he were anyone else, she'd say 'no' straight away. But he wasn't, he was Daryl. She guessed that whether or not she'd told her parents didn't factor too highly into his thought process, but clearly he didn't think much of her thought process. Or maybe he was jealous. She frowned. The thought had crept in, out of the dark recesses of her mind. Jealous of her getting a car as a present? No, she didn't think that was it. Jealous of her family? Maybe…or there was the possibility that he just thought she was spoiled. That was probably it, she thought dryly.

She watched him walk ahead of her, his gaze focused ahead of him. He hadn't looked back at her since she had started walking, and they'd been walking for 20 minutes or so now. There was no sign of any town ahead of them. She wondered what time he'd told the people they were arriving. She checked her phone again and was relieved to see she had a signal, although her battery was extremely low. She jogged a little to catch up to Daryl.

"Daryl?" She called as she reached him. He gave no indication he heard her. "I have reception now, do ya have their number? I'll let them know we'll be late."

He slowed his pace before stopping, using his foot to push out the kickstand. He dug in his pocket and produced the piece of paper with the car details on it that Beth had printed, and handed it to her. He waited while she made the call, and silently accepted the paper back when she thanked him. By the end of the conversation her phone battery was flashing. Once she'd switched her phone off they continued walking, Beth now keeping pace with Daryl. The road stretched on, only one or two cars passing them by. Eventually they reached a sign and Beth was relieved to see it was only 2 miles to the next town.

Beth was sweating a little, and glanced at Daryl in his leather jacket. She noticed his face was looking a little red.

"Would you like me to hold your jacket?" She asked, running her hand through her ponytail in an effort to get rid of the sticky feeling on the back of her neck. He glanced at her, his face blank and shook his head once.

Beth nodded. "All right…well, if you get hot, let me know. I don't mind," she offered, keeping her eyes on the ground, stepping over some road kill with a wince. After a few steps he stopped suddenly, pushing the kickstand out once again and removed his jacket, revealing rolled up sleeves and streaks of oil. He handed it to her with a gruff "thanks", to which Beth only nodded. They resumed walking again.

By the time they got to the mechanic's at the town it was close to 12 pm and Beth was wishing she'd brought some deodorant with her. She sat outside while Daryl spoke to one of the mechanics in the garage, watching the people go by as they did their shopping and ran their errands. There was a pretty decent sized supermarket across the street, which all the local people probably used for their weekly/monthly shops. It didn't take that long before Daryl was back, calling her over. Beth entered the garage and handed him back his jacket, which he draped over the bike. He handed her the spare helmet.

"Thanks…how much was it?" Beth enquired, nodding at the bike. Daryl paused, holding his own helmet in his hands.

"Don' worry 'bout it…would've stuffed up eventually," he shrugged, before putting his helmet on, swinging his leg over the bike. Beth put her helmet on, and mounted the bike.

It was a short drive to the address they'd been given, and the owners turned out to be a young married couple, who were really nice. Beth chatted to the wife while Daryl had a look at the engine, and then they took it for a test drive. Daryl drove while Beth sat in the passenger seat. Overall the car looked pretty good, but Daryl quietly told her just to say they would let them know in a couple of days.

After they'd said good bye, Beth turned to Daryl.

"Was there something wrong with it?"

"Nah…you just don't want to make a decision straight away, 's'all. Did ya like it?" He asked, squinting at her.

Beth shrugged. "Yeah, seemed to work all right."

Daryl nodded. "We'll look at another one. You gotta buy one ya really like."

Beth was surprised, but nodded.

"I'll tell my parents." She blurted out. He lifted his eyes to meet hers.

"Beth…you don' have to. Shouldn't have said that before…ya ain't childish."

"No, I think you were right. I mean, what if something happened out here?"

Daryl rolled his shoulder, eyeing her and shook his head. "Don' worry, it didn't."

Beth smiled at him, tucking stray strands of hair behind her ear. "Well, I'll think about it anyway."

Daryl didn't seem to know how to react after that, so just stuffed his helmet on.

The drive back didn't seem to take nearly as long in comparison to their journey earlier that morning, and Beth enjoyed the wind rushing past them. They took a short 5 minute break at the lake where they'd broken down, this time Daryl disappearing into the trees.

* * *

Beth felt a little relieved when they were driving along her road. Daryl had agreed to drop her off a way down from her driveway, and once she'd dismounted from the bike and given the helmet back, he simply nodded at her before she walked away. It was a minute before she heard him rev his engine and drive away.

She squinted through the thick line of trees that ran along the road as she approached the gate to her driveway. Distantly, it looked like there were lights up at her house…red and white lights.

She took off running.

* * *

To LittleBird, a guest reviewer, I checked out the song Miss Atomic Bomb by The Killers on youtube and I can see why this story would remind you of it! Good song/clip for most Daryl/Beth stories.

Thank you all for reading, your awesome reviews, favouriting and following :)


	6. Chapter 6

The lights were bright, and the voices hushed. Footsteps echoed through the corridors. Beth's hands were shaking. Loud beeps punctuated the air, followed by obnoxiously loud noise.

.

People's voices were nearby. Someone was talking to her father. Her hands were shaking. Her vision faded into black.

.

Her eyes would flutter open occasionally, and Beth would squeeze them shut, her eyes aching against the light. All she heard was noise. She slipped into sleep.

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Beth opened her eyes, the left side of her body aching from lying on the bench. She felt even more exhausted than she had hours earlier. She heard her father's voice, weary and sad. Beth sat up slowly and immediately someone's arms were around her. She blinked slowly, and saw Maggie sitting next to her. Maggie's eyes were bloodshot, her mouth a thin line.

"Beth…" Maggie's lips trembled. "We gotta say good bye now," she rubbed a hand across Beth's back, tears streaming down her face.

.

The sheets on the bed had a stain. Beth folded the sheet back, her hands jerking as she did so.

The fluorescent lighting shed a harsh light on her mother's skin. The monitor next to the bed kept a steady beat.

Beth couldn't quite focus; the room seemed to shift before her eyes.

Her head was pounding, and she was shaking as sobs wracked her body; she gripped her mother's hand.

Wasn't it just the other day that they'd held hands, bathed in the afternoon sun?

Her mother had squeezed her hand, letting her know she was there for her, without having to say anything.

The monitor's beeps seemed to dissolve the sunlight from her memory. Beth leaned her forehead against her mother's hand, her sobs muffled by the sheets.

.

The house was quiet. Night time had fallen. It had been well over a day since they had been home. Beth's feet took her to her room, and she lay down, curling up into herself.

Beth awoke sometime later, in the darkness of her room. It took a minute for her to remember, and she felt her eyes brimming with tears. Her mother was gone.

She'd run home to find her father running out with the paramedics, her mother on a stretcher. She looked to be unconscious.

Maggie and Shawn had met them at the hospital, Glenn arriving an hour or so later. Maggie hadn't been able to reach him because he'd been at work.

Brain aneurysm. Her father hadn't been home when it had happened, he had found her, but the doctors said it wouldn't have been long since it had happened.

The sobs built up in Beth's throat, and she was unable to contain them. She turned to muffle them into her pillow, and jumped when she felt someone's hand smooth her hair over. She looked up to see Maggie, who sat by her on her bed. Beth hadn't heard her come in the room.

"Shhh…I'm here," she murmured. Maggie held her till her cries died down and longer. Beth didn't remember her leaving, waking to an empty room and a glass of water by her bed.

.

Beth didn't see her father or Maggie much that week. Otis and Patricia came by the house and Glenn stayed by Beth's side to the point where Beth felt a bit exasperated. She knew he was following Maggie's orders (not that he wouldn't have been there anyway) but she found herself going to the bathroom a lot, sitting on the edge of the bathtub just staring at her hands.

Shawn was in his room most of the time. All day visitors were coming and going, mostly fielded by Otis and Patricia.

Laura, Maddy and Vanessa came over one day and they'd taken a long walk, the four girls mostly silent but Beth appreciated the company and escape. Maggie had contacted both her and Beth's colleges, and they had been granted a temporary period of leave of two weeks.

The markets on Saturday came and went. The Greene's stayed home, the first time all of them doing so in years.

The funeral was on Monday.

The night before was a surreal experience. Tension could be felt throughout the house, the silence strained at dinner. Patricia and Beth cooked; Maggie was likely to burn the house down if she was let near the stove. Beth and Shawn picked at their food as Maggie and Glenn went through the funeral arrangements. Hershel was outside in the fields with Otis. Beth could have thrown her plate at the wall. She was so _frustrated_ and alone and lost. She could feel these moments of paralysing tension run through her body before she would feel all of her energy drain away, a feeling of hopelessness sinking in. She was crawling into bed every night feeling drained before the tears would start. Maggie came in every night until she fell asleep; however the night before Beth just pretended she was asleep.

Beth watched the sun slowly creep up her wall in the early hours of the morning. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. Beth heard her father's footsteps on the stairs, quiet but definite. Beth had set her alarm the night before, but she decided to just turn it off and get out of bed. She took a very long shower; the kind her mother would have scolded her for.

Beth only had one black dress. It was plain and would be suitable enough, she supposed. The only pair of black shoes she owned was a pair of flats, which she slipped on before glancing at herself in the mirror. She looked pale and her eyes were puffy. She wanted to look her best for the funeral, for her mother. She couldn't show up looking like a reflection of how she felt. She carefully applied her makeup and brushed her hair, before deciding that she looked presentable.

She descended the stairs, pausing when she heard a familiar deep voice. She entered the living room to see Jimmy talking to Glenn, both looking sombre in suits.

He looked up and immediately reached out to her, his eyes sad.

"Beth." He said her name, and she felt her legs moving towards him before she was engulfed in a hug. Glenn quietly left the room.

Beth almost expected to feel a part of her heal as she was wrapped in Jimmy's arms. She instead felt nothing of the sort…he felt familiar of course, but they had essentially lost contact over three months ago. It was a few moments before they broke apart.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner," Jimmy apologised, and Beth nodded, stepping away from him. She could feel his concerned gaze but Beth just smiled at him briefly.

Maggie entered the room, declaring it was time to go. Her eyes looked bloodshot but she seemed alert. Maggie's black dress and heels seemed to transform her from just 'her older sister' into an adult, Beth realised as she looked at her. Jimmy held out his arm to her, and Beth took it, murmuring a thanks. They locked up the house and headed over to the church on foot in silence. Maggie walked ahead with Glenn, their arms linked and Beth and Jimmy trailed behind.

Most of the townspeople were there, from Ed and Carol to Sheriff Grimes and his family. The ceremony was beautiful; Beth felt tears streaming down her face and didn't bother trying to stop them. She even managed to laugh a couple of times through her tears during Maggie's eulogy as she shared her memories, Beth standing behind her.

While Annette wasn't Maggie's biological mother, they had forged a bond stronger than steel. Maggie had initially resented Annette, having lost her own mother when she was a baby. Maggie was only young but she rebelled, and it took a long time before she accepted her. It had taken almost as long for them to be able to laugh about it. Once their bond was forged it was unbreakable. When Maggie had dropped out of college, Annette had been there for her. Eventually she convinced her to go back, and Maggie fought back tears as she promised that she would finish this time.

Beth embraced her sister once she had finished speaking, before going back to their seats. It wasn't long before it was time for the funeral procession. Beth's mother was being buried not too far from the church, at the edge of the small graveyard underneath some trees.

Hershel, Shawn, Otis, Glenn, Jimmy and Sheriff Grimes were the pallbearers, and everyone followed them out of the church over to the burial site. Beth held on to Maggie's arm, suddenly having a hard time to breathe. It was hitting her all over again, and she struggled to focus on the priest's words as the casket was lowered into the ground. She was breathing deeply, staring at the casket when she looked up. Through the crowd, she saw someone standing outside the ring of mourners, on the outskirts of the cemetery but within earshot of the priest. He was leaning against a tree, his hands in his pockets with his head bowed. Her breath hitched in her throat. He was the last person she expected to see today. As she stared at him he glanced up, his eyes finding hers immediately. He nodded to her, and she gripped Maggie's arm even tighter as she nodded back, a single jerk of the head that she hoped would qualify. They held each other's gaze, just for a moment.

.

Once the service had ended, the slow trickle of people to the Greene farm began for the wake. Patricia had been cooking early that morning and Carol and Lori Grimes had dropped some food around the day before. Their fridge had never been so packed and it seemed like they would have enough food to last them a month.

Beth walked home with her family, the last ones to arrive at their home. She had glanced around a couple of times for Daryl once the service had ended but couldn't see him. She had seen Jimmy leave shortly after it had ended with Laura, Maddy and Vanessa. Beth wanted to stay with her family, and to say a private good bye before she went back to the house.

The Greene house was packed, as everyone was fond of Annette Greene. Beth found it was just easier to keep busy, making sure everyone had some food and getting drinks for people, offering Mr Whitley a napkin as his hands shook a little. Maggie caught her arm at one point and told her to relax, but she just couldn't. Eventually however, it seemed like everyone had eaten and there wasn't as much to do. Beth found herself standing with Carol, who was now without Ed as he had left to probably drink himself into oblivion, and her daughter Sophia. Carol had been telling Beth how she handled herself with so much grace, to which Beth politely thanked her, and forced herself to wait until Sophia wanted her mother's attention to excuse herself. She had no idea where Carol was getting this "grace" from, she felt like as though she was adrift in a fast flowing river at the moment.

Beth walked out on to the veranda, and found her father sitting with Otis on the bench. Otis looked up and smiled warmly at Beth, getting up to let her sit with her father. He checked if either of them wanted any food to which they both declined. It was a heavy silence that followed the door shutting as Otis entered the house.

"It was a beautiful service Daddy," Beth said softly.

Hershel nodded slowly, staring out on to the fields.

"Bethy, I want to ask you something," Hershel began, after a long silence. Beth turned to him, her gaze questioning.

"Where were you?" He asked gently.

Beth stared at her father. She didn't need to ask when he was referring to.

"I..."

"I've been wondering…you weren't at Vanessa's. I rang. I was waitin'…You weren't answerin' your phone."

Beth stared at her hands, her breath catching in her throat. Why'd he have to bring this up now? Beth hadn't turned her phone on until a couple of days after It happened. In the days following her mother's passing, Beth's phone had been receiving messages and phone calls left right and centre, but for the most part Beth hadn't been looking at them or answering it.

Her father suddenly seemed to wither and age in front of Beth's eyes. In their area, they were lucky to have a hospital as many rural areas did not but it was a fair distance for the ambulance to travel. Beth couldn't imagine what it would have been like for her father, waiting for the ambulance.

"I…uh," Beth looked down again. "I wasn't at Vanessa's…I was out…looking at a car, with Daryl Dixon." Beth whispered, feeling so damn foolish. Her face was hot and she was holding back tears.

"Why didn't you tell me? Oh Bethy, I'm not mad," Hershel wrapped an arm around her.

"It was meant to be a surprise," Beth wept. Her father's words appeased the weight on her shoulders, the weight that had been bearing down on her especially heavily at night that Beth had been struggling with – and it wasn't where she'd been, or who she'd been with, but the knowledge her mother had been alone when it had happened, and for some time afterwards, before anyone found her. Rationally, Beth knew that nothing could have been done and the doctor had insisted it was quick but her guilty conscience was strong. Not only that, but her father waiting for the ambulance...it crept into her thoughts at night.

"She loved surprises," Hershel said, his voice rumbling through Beth as she clung to her father, crying for the loss of her mother. Beth nodded, making an embarrassing hiccupping noise as she tried to stop crying. Hershel hugged her close, whispering to his youngest daughter that he wasn't mad. Hershel being the honourable man he was, Beth knew that if he said he wasn't mad then it meant he wasn't. He may have been a little disappointed, but upon seeing her distress it melted away. Hershel just wasn't used to his daughter lying to him, but he could see her motives were pure. He just kept whispering that he wasn't mad, and everything was going to be fine.

When Beth's sobs had died down, Hershel went inside to get a glass of water for her. He left her outside, once she had assured him she was fine, sipping the water after being called in by Maggie. Beth didn't want to go back in just yet, and sipped her water slowly. She was staring into her cup when she heard footsteps to her left on the steps, and looked up to see Daryl stepping up to the veranda.

"Hey." He said, barely loud enough for her to hear.

He looked incredibly uncomfortable, and like he was a second away from running like a spooked animal. It was strange, in that instant, to think of a man like Daryl as an animal of prey. When it came down to it, if the going got rough she knew you'd want Daryl Dixon there. But right now, standing on her veranda, he looked spooked. That's when she looked down and saw he was clutching a bunch of white flowers.

"'M sorry," he mumbled, stepping forward. She stared up at him as he laid the flowers carefully on the bench.

He backed away immediately, nodding awkwardly. Beth looked down at the flowers and back up at Daryl, her eyes wide, to see him turn abruptly.

"Thank you," she said softly. He paused for a second, before walking away.

* * *

A/N I'm pretty nervous about posting this chapter (and I was about the last chapter I posted a couple of weeks ago), so I hope you liked them.

I've had a couple of people suggest doing a chapter from Daryl's POV, which I will...eventually. Sorry! But I knew from the start that it wouldn't be for a while.

Also, I have a song rec to LittleBird (guest reviewer) and anyone else who is interested - The Last Day on Earth by Kate Miller-Heidke. Probably better for the ZA stories.

Thanks so much to everyone for following, favouriting, reviewing and reading, it really inspires me!


	7. Chapter 7

Beth lay awake in bed listening to her father's footsteps. He was looking for her again. She reached over to her bedside table, fumbling in the dark for her phone. 2:20 am. It was the second time she'd heard him during the night and it broke her heart all over again. She wasn't quite sure how to handle it but it terrified her in some way that he would search for her mother at night, before remembering.

Maggie had left that morning as she went back to college the next day, as did Beth.

.

Beth lay awake in bed listening to the silence. College was a bit of a blur, but she had gone through the motions. Maddy had sat with her during her break, talking about anything and everything. Beth had smiled and nodded, her expression vacant.

.

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Beth stared at her laptop, the cursor blinking.

.

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Beth felt numb.

.

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Beth felt alone.

.

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Those flowers had sat in a vase for days. They'd been brown and wilted and Beth had let them linger on her desk still, until she'd walked into her room one day to find the vase gone. She'd run downstairs and found the vase in the cupboard, and found the flowers in the bin.

She'd asked Maggie who had immediately said that yes, she had thrown the flowers out. Beth had just nodded. It was silly to hold on to them, she told herself. They were actually the only flowers she'd received personally, not that it was a big deal or anything, she told herself. But she found herself thinking about those flowers sometimes.

.

Beth could hear him again. It was the third time in as many weeks. Her eyes burned from lack of sleep, and her head hurt something bad. She was too afraid to go downstairs for a glass of water while her father was up though. She wasn't prepared to see his realisation, to see the fresh anguish. She curled into herself, feeling like a coward. The absence of her mother was like a physical pain, like a hand was squeezing her heart. The music was gone from their house, the soft laughter, the sounds and smells that made their home _home_.

.

.

The weather got cooler, but it was a relatively mild winter. The days were still sunny and Beth could work up a sweat walking into town, but the nights were cold.

.

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The holidays were a subdued affair. Maggie came home again, but Glenn wasn't able to make it back down as he had been rostered on for every day during the holidays. Maggie said she'd asked him not to put down his availability for the holidays, but he'd said they needed the money. Beth had a sneaking suspicion he was saving for a wedding, but didn't say anything to Maggie. Maybe a month ago they would have giggled about it and spent hours going searching on the Internet for bridal dresses, but sitting across from Maggie in the living room on Christmas Eve while Patricia cooked for tomorrow, Beth couldn't even bring herself to speak it out loud. She knew she should have. Lord knew they needed something, but looking at her sister at that moment Beth knew it would only make her upset. Hershel was out on a call (even pets got sick on Christmas Eve) and Shawn hadn't been home all day. There had been a couple of nights where Beth had heard Shawn stumble in, drunk, so she assumed he was spending most of his time drinking in some field somewhere with Austin and whoever else they managed to rustle up. They continued to sit in silence, watching some B-grade kids Christmas movie.

.

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The weeks bled by and the Greene's lives reassembled themselves. Beth went back to working the diner on weekends, and threw herself into her studies. She spent more and more time at the library at college, getting home late and collapsing in bed. It was a trait she had in common with her brother Shawn, who was now working so much she could go days without seeing him. Hershel mentioned one night that Shawn was thinking of joining Jimmy over in Macon, which didn't surprise Beth. Beth hadn't seen or heard from Jimmy since that day, which was a relief if she was honest with herself. Hadn't really heard from Laura either. She didn't feel much like talking to anyone. Every conversation was strained a little, each word carried a weight. Beth wasn't feeling much of anything lately though. Maggie messaged her every now and then, asking how she was. Sometimes Beth ignored it.

.

In the afternoons Beth liked to wander down to the pond and listen to the crickets. It got her away from the house, and she felt a little closer to her mother there. That simple afternoon they'd sat together was one of her warmest memories, the more she thought about it the more the sunlight crept back into her mind, the feeling of her mother's hand in hers like a ghostly handshake. She strained to remember that morning before It happened. She remembered that her mum was on the phone, to whom she didn't even know. It felt important to hold on to the last morning, but already it seemed like trying to grasp water.

The harsh realities were beginning to settle into Beth's existence. She loved and adored her mother, and missed her dearly. The gentle way she talked, her soft smiles and eternal optimism. The void she left was vast. However, one void was becoming clearer by the day. Beth would never complain about it but without her mother, the cooking and cleaning became her responsibility. Her father had probably never done a load of washing in his life, being the traditional old timer that he was. On the days Beth had classes she tried to get it all done in the morning before she left. She found herself wishing she'd thanked her mother more often. She had taken her for granted.

Otis and Patricia came by regularly, helping out around the house. Otis would be out in the fields with her father, and Patricia would stay in the house with Beth helping with the cleaning and cooking. Lori Grimes came by occasionally with casseroles and potato bakes. The Greene's were grateful, to be sure, however Lori's dishes usually got thrown out. Beth now understood why Sheriff Grimes and Carl liked the diner so much.

.

It was so easy to forget. She understood sometimes her father looking for her mother in the dead of night. Some mornings she still woke up and forgot for a moment too. It happened so fast, her mother was there one moment and gone the next.

It was so easy not to forget. The silence throughout the house, and the heavy feeling in her chest when she got home.

.

.

It was a humid afternoon, and Beth had finished working her Saturday shift at the diner. She'd told Shawn not to worry about picking her up and that she'd walk. She may have also told Carol she'd walk. But...that may have been a lie. She didn't know whether or not she meant it both times she said it. However, when it came time she'd closed the diner and just followed her feet, walking up the street towards the Dixon's shop, feeling the breeze against her skin. The clouds were moving over quickly, it would start raining soon.

She was hoping Martinez wouldn't be around the shop when she got there, but come to think of it she hadn't seen him since that night she saw the police there.

She'd heard nothing further about the investigation into the fire at Bill's, but she was sure that once they found out whoever did it that it would be all over town. Still, it was strange Martinez disappearing after that.

Beth hadn't seen or heard from him since that day, and eventually she'd realised it would be up to her to go to him.

Beth saw him hunched over a car at the far end of the yard, a radio blaring some old country music loudly next to him. She hadn't forgotten that day they'd gone looking at that car. They'd gotten annoyed with each other, snapped at each other, and been a bit awkward with each other. They'd called each other childish. He'd apologised, Beth hadn't. She wouldn't either, because he had been a little childish. But then he'd apologised, and somehow that made it all better.

He had wanted to go look at the cars on his own. She supposed he liked being on his own, and he probably figured she knew nothing about cars anyway so what was the point of her coming along, except to annoy him? He had a quick temper, a gruff demeanour and was aloof at the best of times.

But she'd seen him that day, in the cemetery. And she had seen him standing on her veranda, his fist clutched around a bunch of white flowers. His light eyes avoiding hers as usual, but clearly determined to give them to her.

As she walked towards him, the image of him standing on her veranda with the sun behind him, the flowers clutched in his fist burned fiercely in her mind. She watched him work on the car, his arms outstretched as he twisted something, the muscles bunching and shifting. He was definitely right about her lack of knowledge about cars.

She could pinpoint the exact moment he saw her. Daryl slowed his movements, his gaze locking on to her as she walked towards him. He glanced back at the engine he was working on before stepping back, putting the wrench down.

She slowed to a halt and they stared at each other for a moment.

"Hi." She spoke first, her mind warring within itself. She'd had this urge to see him for days now...weeks if she was honest. She couldn't pinpoint it but she needed to see Daryl.

He nodded to her, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I...wanted to thank you for the flowers."

Daryl was staring at the ground, and she watched him carefully as his brow knitted together, as though he were confused.

"S'all right. Ain't easy, losing ya mum."

She felt her eyes burning but she shook her head, refusing to cry again. In front of him, anyway. She shuffled her feet, ducking her head down.

"Do ya...still wanna go out? Check out another car?" Daryl asked, sounding uncertain, and she glanced at him to see his thumb was back in his mouth again. Not for the first time she wondered how old Daryl Dixon was. Mid 30's maybe?

"Yeah, I'd like to, if you're able to," she shrugged, her words belying her hopes that he would offer. Beth wanted anything that would get her away for a while.

"We'll take the truck this time," he said, smiling wryly at her. Beth found herself smiling back, but shook her head.

"I wanna go on the bike." She said, blushing a little to her horror. Daryl raised his eyebrows and she saw a quirk in his lips.

"Now ya wanna go on the bike? Sure?"

"Long as it don't break down," she grinned, tongue in cheek.

Daryl glanced at the ground before squinting up at her, any trace of a smile gone. "All right, bike it is."

Beth nodded, her own smile fading.

They decided on going later that week in the afternoon, and Daryl would arrange it with the owner.

"Wan' me to pick you up from your friend's place?" Daryl asked, and Beth was appreciative that he wasn't teasing her.

"No that's ok...I told my Daddy. You can come to the farm."

Daryl nodded slowly, giving her a searching look. "Don't want Bill to do this then?"

Beth shook her head, giving him a brief smile. "No, I'm good."

They'd headed back inside the shop while they'd talked, and Beth was tempted to ask where Martinez was but opted not to. Best not to stick her nose in where it wasn't wanted.

The low rumble of thunder sounded in the distance, and Beth wrinkled her nose. That and the smell in the air and the wind starting to pick up outside all pointed to a thunderstorm, and soon.

"Best be gettin' home, that storm's coming in now," he said, jerking his head towards the door.

"Sure is," she replied, looking out the window. "Um, would it be all right if you gave me a lift?"

He stared at her for a second, his brow furrowed again like he was trying to figure something out. Beth shifted uncomfortably, waiting for his response until he finally shrugged.

"All right…we'll take the truck though. Ain't gonna take the bike in the rain." He pushed off the counter, fishing his keys out of his pocket and strode towards the door without giving her a second glance. She had been hoping for the bike, even if it was going to rain, but she followed him without a word.

The drive in the truck was no less uncomfortable than the first time he'd given her a lift home. The rain started to pelt down as they walked outside to the truck, and by the time they were out on the road it was pouring. Daryl's words echoed in her mind, the way he'd said it wasn't easy losing your mum…it had clicked in her mind. She'd never heard anything about their mother, only their father. Their father had died a few years back right around when Merle came back to town.

"Here's fine," Beth said as they reached her driveway.

Daryl parked in her driveway, stopping in front of the gate. He stared at the steering wheel, arms tense as he waited for her to get out of the car. The rain was pouring down on the car making it impossible to see outside without the windscreen wipers going. Beth was going to get soaked just opening the gate.

Beth put her hand on the door handle, and hesitated. "Does it…does it get easier?" She turned to face him.

His knuckles went white on the wheel, before he relaxed them. He stared at the steering wheel, his jaw clenching, before turning his head to look her in the eyes, and the pain reflected there startled her.

"I'm still waiting to see."

Beth could feel her heart pounding, and she reminded herself to breathe. She nodded jerkily, taking a deep breath, before opening the door and running out into the rain. Beth realised that even while she'd seen him spooked, there was not one man out there that she'd met as strong as Daryl. Whatever he had been through, the pain it caused him was reflected in all its rawness in his eyes. He was not an animal of prey, he was a fighter.

If only people knew how wrong they were about Daryl Dixon.

.

Beth ran the whole way to her house after hurriedly opening and shutting the gate, not bothering to watch Daryl drive away. She'd been soaked before she had even gotten the gate shut. She didn't stop running until she was on the veranda. It took her a moment to realise her father was standing at the door, watching her.

"Hi Daddy," she greeted him.

"Bethy, did you walk the whole way in the rain?" Hershel asked, looking concerned, going back inside to grab a towel.

"No…Daryl Dixon gave me a ride home," she replied as she followed him into the house, cringing a little as she waited for his reaction.

Hershel paused as he took the towel out of the cupboard. He walked back into the living room where Beth stood, wringing her hair out, and handed her the towel.

"You best be careful with that man, Bethy. He's no good." Hershel stared down at his youngest seriously.

Beth accepted the towel, and silently left the room. She went upstairs and shut her door firmly behind her, leaning against it sighing heavily.

.

.

Beth was lying on her bed, the sunlight streaming through the window, trying to get through some of her reading for college when her phone buzzed. Eager to take a break from the dull reading she rolled over and picked her phone up, frowning when she saw it was Maddy. She'd been hoping it was Daryl, even though she had only just seen him the day before.

_Hey, you talk to Laura lately?_

Beth bit her lip, placing her phone back on her bed. She hadn't really talked to anyone lately, including Maddy, so the message was a bit out of the blue.

She rolled back over to her textbook, before sighing and reaching across the bed for her phone.

_No, not lately, why?_

Maddy didn't reply straight away, which Beth found odd. Eventually, the phone vibrated again.

_She asked me if I wanted to come out Saturday, cos Jimmy's in town_

Beth blinked at the message. Jimmy and Laura? She sighed. Honestly, she could not care less who Jimmy saw. Beth wasn't sure what Maddy expected from her, but she wasn't about to be pulled into some high school antics. Beth lay on her bed, staring up at her phone. Whilst they'd broken up a few months ago now, that was the moment it really hit home to her. Jimmy was part of a former life. Beth quickly sent a reply to Maddy:

_Sounds good, hope you guys have fun :)_

She knew that Maddy could take that a couple of ways, but as she put her phone down, she thought it really didn't matter anyway.

Beth's phone buzzed again, and she sighed as she picked it up.

_Thursday at 5_

Beth smiled.

* * *

A/N: Thanks so much for the amazing response to the last chapter! :)

By way of a reference for time, it has now been around 3 months since Beth's mother died, so roughly 4 months since Beth's birthday.

So again, thank you for the follows, favourites, reviews and for reading along!


	8. Chapter 8

Thursday morning was a rush. Beth decided to skip her afternoon class since there was no way she could make it home in time, and they never marked attendance in that class anyway. If she needed to, she'd listen to the lecture recording later. She had an early class and as soon as it finished she ran all the way to the train station, only just making the early train.

Beth was almost on autopilot. She had made a mental list of everything she needed to do before Daryl picked her up, and she was determined to get it done. She wanted at least one of her readings done on the way home, and was so absorbed in her textbook she nearly missed her stop. The day was quite warm; the bus wasn't air-conditioned and she sat in her dress sticking to the seat with her nose wrinkled, eyes narrowed as she kept reading.

Shawn picked her up at the bus stop, and she got into the car, her textbook in one hand and her dress immediately clinging to the worn leather seat. Shawn sat in the driver's seat, wearing an old wife-beater and trying hard to be cool.

"Could you be anymore of a bookworm?"

"Shh I'm nearly done!" Beth waved her hand at her brother, eyes wide as she stared at the textbook.

They drove past the familiar fields, Shawn speeding a little as he smirked at his younger sister's feverish reading.

"C'mon Bethy, we're gonna get home and you ain't gonna be finished!"

"Shut up!" Beth waved her arm at him again.

They approached their driveway and Beth snapped the book shut with a triumphant smile.

"Ha, done!"

"Do you remember any of it?" Shawn asked, arching an eyebrow as he pulled up in front of the gate.

Beth thought for a second. "Not really." She shrugged as she got out of the car to open the gate. As she walked back to the car she could see Shawn shaking his head.

"What's your rush anyway?" He asked her once she'd shut the car door.

Beth hesitated. "Um, well I gotta go look at a car this afternoon, so I wanna get some stuff done."

Shawn raised his eyebrows, but just nodded slowly. Any inference of the _why _behind their new lives tended to sober them.

Shawn parked the car under the tree in front of their house, and turned to Beth with a serious expression on his face.

"I can take you to look at the car you know," he said, turning the engine off.

Beth hesitated again, and it seemed that was answer enough for Shawn.

"All right, forget it. But you shouldn't be hanging around him." He shook his head as he opened the door, slamming it shut.

Beth exhaled, suppressing the hurt she felt. If she even tried to put into words what Daryl was really like, Beth had a feeling Shawn would go crazy. The Dixon's were trash, always had been, always will be. That might as well have been the town's motto. She wondered if this was even a taste of what it was like to be Daryl Dixon, judged by everyone on your reputation without even having to do anything. She had to remind herself though that he had been known to be involved in the brawls that occasionally happened up at the bar, and the stories never seemed bode well for his opponents.

She watched Shawn stalk inside the house, his shoulders tense. She sighed, squaring her shoulders and grabbed her bag before following him inside. She had to finish her list.

Beth cleaned the upstairs and downstairs bathrooms, put a load of washing on and washed the dishes. While she was waiting for the clothes to finish she swept the floor and dusted everything downstairs, before the machine finished and she hung the clothes out on the line. There was a cool breeze coming through now which made the afternoon much more pleasant.

She left instructions on the kitchen counter to heat up one of the casseroles in the fridge. Once she'd finished everything, she showered and changed into her jeans and an old t-shirt, grabbing a jacket to wear on the bike. This time she felt better prepared for the ride. Beth felt a humming of energy whenever she thought about going on the bike again with Daryl.

.

Beth had messaged Daryl that it was fine to drive up to the house, and when it came to 5 pm she was starting to regret that. Hershel sat on the veranda, patiently waiting for him to arrive while she stood inside at the kitchen counter listening for the roar of the bike. The house was silent now as Shawn had gone out…probably went to hang out with Austin, Vanessa's older brother. The seconds ticked by slowly, as Beth stood listening. The clock in the hall seemed to get louder and louder, as the seconds seemed to stretch into what felt like hours.

She bit her lip as doubt started to creep into her mind. Maybe he'd forgotten? She had only messaged him last night, and true to form he hadn't messaged back. That was nothing new.

Beth fished her phone out of her pocket. 5:15 pm. Fifteen minutes. That was all, not really late yet.

By half past five Beth was sitting outside next to her father. They sat in silence, and Hershel shortly went inside to make a cup of coffee. She didn't miss his tone, like he doubted he'd show up.

No sooner had the door shut behind her father than did Beth feel her phone vibrate in her pocket.

_At the gate_

Beth frowned, but stood up quickly, slipping her phone back in her pocket. She ran inside to tell her father he was here, and upon seeing him put the milk down on the counter she hurriedly explained that Daryl was at the gate.

"Gotta go, love ya," she smiled at her father as she kissed him on the cheek. He barely had time to smile back before Beth rushed outside, pulling her jacket on. She was a little disappointed that Daryl hadn't come up to the house, but supposed she should have known better. What did she expect? Him to ride up to the house, get off his bike, apologise profusely for his lateness and make nice with her father? She huffed as she walked along the dirt track.

Beth spotted Daryl just beyond the gate. He was wearing his leather jacket, dirty dark jeans with boots. He was already getting back on the motorcycle, the spare helmet in his hands. She smiled at him as she approached the bike, and he held the helmet out to her. Her smile faltered as he didn't even open his visor, but she recovered quickly, hiding her apprehension. He had seemed a little distant at the shop the other day, but Beth had played it down to it being a while since they'd last spoken.

Beth put the helmet on and put her hand on his shoulder, using him for leverage to swing her leg over the bike. She felt an explosion of butterflies in her stomach, contrasting wildly to the hard, solid body she was now pressed against. The roar of the engine only served to whip the butterflies into a frenzy, and she gripped Daryl tightly as they sped off.

.

The fading sunlight streamed through the trees, patchy across the road and Beth's eyes flickered as she stared out at the scenery, feeling her hair whip around her. Daryl handled the road skilfully, though she could tell he was being quite careful. The drive wasn't as long as the first time, not that that was saying much, and the light faded quickly.

They drove through wide-open roads before they turned into narrow roads enclosed by forest. Beth knew they must have been close when they slowed to a crawl as they approached a mailbox. Daryl revved the engine and they sped up again through the winding road. This area was even more remote than where Beth lived, and the houses were more like cabins that were few and far between.

On either side of the road was dense forest that seemed to lean in on them as they rounded the corners. Eventually they came to a mailbox at the bottom of a hill, a faint light at the top from the front porch of a cabin with a car parked in front. It was pitch black along the road, and Daryl shone a light on his phone at the mailbox, revealing crudely scratched letters spelling out HARRIS. Daryl killed the engine and pushed the kickstand out, pulling off his helmet.

"This is it," he said.

Beth nodded, before realising he couldn't see her and she still had her helmet on. She took off her helmet and passed it to him, before dismounting.

Daryl got off the motorcycle, running a hand through his hair.

"Maybe we should've scheduled it earlier," Beth said as she looked around, peering up at the cabin, as Daryl clipped the helmets on the bike.

"Had shit to do," Daryl said shortly, and Beth realised he thought she was referring to him being late.

"Oh, no I didn't mean…it would have gotten dark then anyway," she shrugged, pulling her jacket around her tighter. This was true, even if he had picked her up at five, it would have gotten dark while they were still out on the way back.

Daryl simply looked up at the cabin and rolled his shoulder. "C'mon," he muttered.

Beth stayed close to him as they ascended the hill, noticing the way he carried himself. He didn't have his usual swagger; here in the night he was walking quietly, his eyes scanning around them. Like a hunter, Beth thought, recalling the quiver of arrows at the shop.

They reached the car, a small, four-door hatchback. Beth stopped as she reached it, surveying the car in the faint light emitting from the porch, her brow furrowed. She looked over to Daryl to see him continue towards the cabin, climbing the steps to the porch. He knocked heavily on the door, before stepping back to glance down at Beth and the car.

The curtains were heavily drawn in the windows, and all was silent around them. There was no smoke emitting from the chimney, although Beth didn't think it was quite cold enough for that.

Beth bit her lip as she looked up at the windows, scanning the cabin for signs of movement. Surely they would have heard the bike approach. After a couple of minutes Daryl knocked again, a bit impatiently, she observed.

Nothing.

Nothing, except Beth's stomach rumbling.

She grimaced as she realised she hadn't eaten since that morning.

"Well, lookey here…ain't you a sweetheart," Beth froze as she heard a voice say from behind her. She turned around slowly, to see an older man around Daryl's age, maybe a bit older, looking her over in a way she was most definitely not comfortable with, gripping an axe. He was large with a beer belly, his wife-beater stretched across it. She caught a strong whiff of alcohol in the air.

She heard footsteps descending the stairs and quickly come up behind her.

"We're here for the car," Daryl said, his voice rough and firm as he moved in front of Beth, blocking her from the man's view, and him from hers. His back was so close to Beth that his jacket brushed against her briefly.

"An' here I'd thought Christmas had come early," the man said with a chuckle.

Daryl's stance was rigid. "Christmas ain't for a while," he said. "This the car?"

"Yeah, this is it," the man said vaguely, and Beth caught a glimpse of him over Daryl's shoulder. He was grinning, and it only got wider as he caught her eye.

"You ain't the guy I talked to on the phone," Daryl stated, not moving from in front of Beth.

"Nah, that's my brother. He ain't here. That your daughter?"

Daryl suddenly moved and Beth raised her hands, touching his jacket, before quickly dropping them as she stepped to follow him, realising the man had started to walk over. The man chuckled.

"Well shit man, how'd you score such a sweet piece of ass? _Fuck_ I would love to-"

"You so much as look at her I'm gonna put you down," Daryl growled.

"Yeah?" The man challenged.

Daryl's stance didn't change, and he didn't seem bothered to reply. Beth held her breath.

There was a thump and suddenly Daryl was moving forward. Beth stepped back in shock as she saw the man coming towards Daryl, who grabbed the man's fist that shot forward. They struggled, before she heard a sickening crack as Daryl punched him. The man was big, but he was slow. Beth spotted the axe on the ground, the man had dropped it. The man stumbled towards Daryl and reached for him before Daryl pushed him away roughly, before he launched himself forward, striking Daryl across the face. Daryl lurched back, but recovered quickly as the man reached for him again. Daryl dodged the punch and elbowed him hard in the face, snapping the man's head back. The man stumbled back, doubling over, clutching his head, which blood was slowly seeping down.

Daryl turned to Beth, his forehead bloody.

"C'mon, we gotta go," he said, his voice thick, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her after him. They ran down the hill towards the bike, Daryl not bothering with the helmets as he mounted the bike, Beth quickly getting on after him. She could barely even process what had just happened. Her heart was pounding and she heard the man yelling, before the engine drowned it out.

They drove for a while, before Daryl pulled over. He wiped his face and then wiped his hands on his jeans, before handing her the spare helmet. In the light of the bike she saw his hand was bloody, and she looked up at his face, which he twisted slightly away from her. He couldn't turn away completely, holding the helmet out, and she had to yell over the engine.

"You need to get that looked at!"

He pushed the helmet at her, forcing her to take it from him, before he put his own helmet on.

"I'm serious, you need it looked at now!" Beth yelled, exasperated. He revved the engine and Beth sat back, refusing to put her helmet on or hold on to him until he agreed.

He revved the engine once more, his head leaning forward slightly until he looked back at her, nodding once. Beth nodded back before quickly putting her helmet on and wrapping her arms around his waist.

Daryl's driving was noticeably less careful, and they raced through the roads with Beth's heart in her throat, it was beating so hard it was almost painful.

Once they were in an area that Beth recognised she felt her heartbeat start to return to normal, but it continued to pound in her chest. They passed the road that would take them to Beth's house, and she realised where he was taking her. His house.

.

They drove up into the forest, where the houses became even fewer and fewer into a sparsely populated area. Beth was wondering how far away he lived, or if he was indeed taking her to his home, when they pulled into a dirt track, between the trees. It was pitch black but for the light from the motorcycle, and Daryl manoeuvred through the trees like he'd done it a million times, following a worn path.

Beth saw the cabin loom in the darkness before the light hit it, and shivered. The temperature had dropped remarkably. She got off the bike, pulling her helmet off as soon as her feet hit the ground. She watched Daryl dismount, chucking his helmet on to the ground next to it. He stalked towards the cabin, almost angrily, without checking if Beth was following. She placed her helmet gingerly on the ground next to his, and hurried after him.

He unlocked the door, and switched the light on, revealing a small and sparse living room and kitchen. There was a door to the immediate left when you entered the cabin, and Beth assumed that was the bedroom. It was sparsely furnished, and the furniture that was there looked old and worn. She stepped further into the room and saw another door at the end of the room.

"First aid kit?" She asked him, looking around.

"Bathroom," he grunted, waving his hand towards the door at the end of the room.

Beth walked purposely towards the door, opening it quickly and feeling for the light switch. She couldn't feel or see one and looked around confused.

"Pull the string," she heard him say. She raised her hand as she looked up and felt a string, gripped it and pulled down. The light flickered on and she squeezed in to the room. There was only a small shower, toilet and basin. Beth opened the cabinet above the basin and found a decent sized first aid kit. She grabbed it and turned to go back into the living room when Daryl appeared in the doorway. He sighed as he saw she had the kit and turned around, and they both walked back into the living room.

He sat down heavily on the worn couch. The blood was smeared across his face, particularly around his forehead. He leaned his head back and shut his eyes. Beth put the kit down and looked down at her hands, realising she needed to wash them. She quickly went back in the bathroom, washing them thoroughly with soap and using the toilet paper to wipe them dry, as she couldn't see any towel around except the large one hung on the back of the door.

When she stepped back into the room his eyes were still shut. Beth thought fast. She'd never had to clean a wound before, and she wasn't sure how serious it was. She walked over to the couch and leaned over him, reaching out slowly to touch his forehead. He jerked back, the back of his head hitting the wall behind him as her fingers lightly touched his forehead.

She recoiled, her wide eyes connecting with his as he glared at her before he quickly dropped them.

"I'm just checking how bad it is," she said softly, waiting for his response before she moved again. He clenched his jaw before he nodded tightly.

She smoothed his hair back, and saw a long scratch running along his hairline. His hair wasn't long in the front, and it looked as though the man had taken a layer of skin off Daryl in their struggle. It wasn't too deep though, and she withdrew her hand feeling relieved. It was just a small head wound, which tended to bleed a lot but would be easy to patch up. She blinked as she saw Daryl's hands were gripping the couch tightly, on either side of him, and his whole body was rigid on the couch. She turned away feeling slightly flustered, and went over to the kitchen. She found a bowl and filled it with warm water, and rifled through the cupboards for a clean cloth. There was nothing that didn't look like it hadn't been thrown in a puddle of grease and stomped up and down on.

"It might be better if we go in the bathroom," she said over her shoulder, as she pulled a cloth out from the back of the cupboard. She heard him move on the couch and she looked over to see him walk into the bathroom with the first aid kit.

She grabbed the bowl and towel. She had no idea what she was doing, and her mind still hadn't comprehended exactly what had happened with that man.

Once they were in the bathroom, she began washing the cut and carefully wiping down his face. He closed his eyes the entire time, leaning against the bathroom wall. It was a tight fit with both of them standing in there, and Beth studied his face carefully as she rinsed the cloth out. There was a bruise already forming on his cheek from the punch he took. She carefully dabbed the area where it was forming, as there was a little bit of dried blood. She was surprised he was letting her do this though he still seemed tense. In complete contrast, tending to Daryl was calming Beth down significantly. In the cabin with Daryl she felt safe, and the silence wasn't tense. At least, not tense like it was when that man was leering at her.

There was some soap in the first aid kit and she put a little bit on the towel before dipping it in the bowl, and gently wiped the scratch. Daryl swallowed hard, but his face remained impassive. The cut was still bleeding. She used one of the antiseptic swabs on the cut as well; basically using anything in the first aid kit that she thought would be of use, probably going overboard but she didn't know any other way to thank him.

"Does that guy's brother know your name? Or anything? Can he find you?" She asked, keeping her voice soft as she rinsed the cloth in the sink. Daryl shook his head, keeping his eyes shut.

"He knew we were comin' after 5, that was it. Didn't give him any details, thank fuck…just told him we'd be there."

Beth let out a sigh of relief.

Once she'd finished cleaning him up, she stuck one of the bandages on it and handed him a couple of painkillers.

He took the pills, muttering a gruff thanks.

"No, thank you." She smiled up at him. His eyes flickered as he stared down at her and she suddenly realised how close together they were standing in his tiny bathroom.

Beth abruptly turned away, grabbing the bowl and smiled quickly at him before taking it back out to the kitchen sink, leaning on the counter for a moment. She had to remind herself to breathe. The butterflies had come back, and this time she wasn't about to go on the motorcycle.

She shook her head slightly, as she rinsed the bowl out. She was just really hungry. She wasn't attracted to Daryl Dixon, no matter how…attractive he may be. Oh god.

She jumped when she heard a noise behind her and spun around, blushing when she saw Daryl entering the room. She gripped the counter behind her, as he shut the door behind him. There was a moment of awkward silence, which was broken suddenly by a long, loud rumble from Beth's stomach.

He lifted an eyebrow at her. She shrugged, aware that she was still blushing.

"C'mon, I'll take ya home," he said.

Beth sighed, but nodded. She followed him outside slowly, and waited while he locked the cabin.

"We're not having much luck, huh?" She asked, squinting in the darkness.

He shrugged. "Guy was an asshole. Deserved it," he stated as he took the stairs two at a time.

Beth nodded, even though he hadn't really answered her. She really didn't want to go home yet, and it was still relatively early.

"You sure you're ok to drive?" She asked, looking at the bike dubiously.

He rolled his shoulder. "S'nothing, just a scratch, c'mon," he picked up her helmet.

"Can we get somethin' to eat?" She asked, taking the helmet. "I'm honestly starvin', haven't eaten since this morning."

Daryl picked up his helmet, and jingled his keys for a moment.

"No food at home?" He asked dryly.

Beth wavered. "Well, yeah…we got food at home. It's just…I don't…I don't wanna go home. Just yet."

He paused, the jingling of the keys stopping.

"C'mon." Daryl jerked his head, swinging his leg over the bike.

Beth sighed, mounting the bike behind him.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for the follows, favourites, reviews and for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

When they drove in the opposite direction to Beth's house, she felt her heart lift.

They drove down to the next town over, near Beth's high school. She knew immediately where he was taking her. The diner near her old school was open till late, six days a week. Beth was glad it wasn't too far away; she was still worried about Daryl after that fight. That creep had punched him pretty hard.

The whole thing was a blur, and she wondered if they should have called the police. Beth doubted that Daryl would want to involve them though. Seeing that side of Daryl was like having a veil lifted from her eyes. He hadn't hesitated in confronting the man, and had sounded pretty damn certain that he would be able to take him in a fight. It had escalated fast; Beth wasn't sure if it was because Daryl was so confrontational, but then, the man was intoxicated and holding an axe.

They pulled up outside the diner, and dismounted the bike. Beth waited while he clipped the helmets to the bike before following him into the diner. He surprised her by holding the door open for her, and she smiled shyly as she thanked him. The warmth of the diner hit her as she entered the establishment.

On a main road off the highway, the diner was pretty busy. It was the local hang out for all the high school kids and a lot of families went there for dinner. Beth had always really liked it, it had the retro style booths with high walls, and her and Jimmy had gone there plenty of times just for that reason. Even when the diner was full it felt like it was just the two of you.

Daryl held up two fingers when a waitress approached them, and she led them to a booth in the corner. Beth noticed the looks they got from the other patrons. Daryl still looked quite dishevelled, even more so than usual due to the fight, and she supposed they looked like an odd pair. A lot of the teenagers there she still recognised from school, but she didn't really know anyone that she could see. She was a bit relieved at that.

They slid into the booth across from each other, Daryl shaking off his jacket, revealing his bare arms.

Beth picked up the menu, chancing a look at Daryl over the top as he picked up his menu. He barely looked at the menu before dropping it back on the table, sitting back against the seat.

His eyes flickered to hers, and she blushed, looking down at her menu. She put the menu down once she'd decided, and looked at Daryl. He was glancing around the diner, his fingers tapping the table belying his stillness.

"Do you want me to ask Bill to help me?" Beth asked, not sure where the thought had come from.

His fingers stopped tapping the table. He shifted in his seat before shrugging.

"Up to you. You want Bill to help, ask Bill," he stated.

"I just thought maybe…after today…" Beth trailed off. "Though, I ain't sure how much good Bill would've done if it were him there today," she smiled somewhat.

Daryl snorted. "Jack shit, that's how much," he drummed his fingers again on the table. Beth's smile faded.

If it had been anyone else, who knows what that creep would have done.

"Evenin', what can I get ya?"

Beth blinked up at the waitress, torn from her thoughts.

"Steak and fries, well done," Daryl mumbled, handing the woman the menu. "And a beer."

"I'll get the beef burger and fries…and we'll just have water. No beer." Beth nodded at the waitress, eyeing Daryl apologetically. The woman raised her eyebrows, eyes darting to Daryl who had sat up abruptly.

"I'll get the beer," he stated, eyes narrowing at Beth.

"Can we just have a moment?" Beth asked the waitress.

"Sure," she smirked, glancing between the two of them, before walking away slowly.

"There a reason you tellin' me what I can't have to drink?" he asked quietly, eyes still narrowed.

"You just got punched in the head, you're on painkillers and you're gonna drive me home soon. I just think you should at least wait a while if you're gonna drink," Beth reasoned, meeting his eyes steadily. He glared at her, before snorting and waving his hand.

"Fine," he muttered.

Beth signalled to the waitress.

"Beer?" She asked, pen poised over her notepad.

"Just water," Beth smiled at the woman. The waitress looked surprised but nodded.

"Ok, just water," she smiled, giving Daryl a once over. Beth resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and merely smiled as she handed her the menu.

Daryl sighed heavily once the waitress had walked away. Beth didn't know if she was overreacting, but she'd feel a million times better if he hadn't had anything to drink before going on the motorcycle in the dark of the night after getting punched in the face. Beth folded her arms across the table, hunching forward.

"Thank you," she said quietly, feeling as though that was the thousandth time that day she'd said it.

"You ever drink before?" He asked, and she glanced at him in surprise.

"I'm eighteen," she said, looking at him incredulously.

"Uh huh," he smirked. "You ever had a drink before?"

Beth shook her head, trying not to blush again. She'd been offered alcohol before, but her father had had a problem with drinking way back, and she'd grown up strongly influenced by that. Daryl nodded slowly, as though he'd expected that answer.

"So is that where you live?" She asked, keeping her voice casual, trying to change the subject.

"Mmhmm," he smirked as he hummed his response, surveying the diner again. He had obviously seen through her attempt.

"Must be close to the river there," she commented, trying to recall the drive.

Daryl's eyes darted to hers, and he nodded. "'Bout ten minutes walk."

Beth nodded thoughtfully, as the waitress came by with their water.

Daryl took one long gulp of water before standing and grabbing his jacket, saying he was going out for a smoke. Beth sat back in her seat once he'd left, exhaling. She took her phone out of her pocket, and saw there were two messages from her father asking where she was.

_Just getting something to eat, skipped lunch_

Beth knew he wouldn't be happy about that, but she figured…he didn't always know best, when he didn't really know the person. There was nothing wrong with them getting some food.

Beth flashed back to the man at the cabin staring at her, and shivered.

When Daryl got back to the table she was lost in thought, going over the night's events. The way he'd stepped in front of her…she hadn't even seen the man for half of it, Daryl was shielding her from his view.

"That man was crazy," she murmured, frowning as he sat down.

"He was a drunk piece of shit, forget about him," Daryl said forcefully. Beth blinked, and picked up the glass of water, taking a sip.

They sat in silence briefly, before Daryl cleared his throat.

"So you studyin' to be a nurse or something?"

"Teacher," Beth smiled slightly.

"City?"

"Yep," Beth nodded affirmatively.

"Why can't ya just take ya Daddy's car?" He asked, tapping the table again.

"He needs it, he's a vet so he's always on call," Beth explained. "Shawn would never let me drive his truck, plus he's always working too," she continued.

"That ya brother?"

"Yep, I got a brother Shawn, and my sister Maggie," Beth's smile brightened, her face softening as she spoke of her family. "Shawn's thinkin' of moving to Macon, but I hope he doesn't. The house will be so empty if he does," her smile twisted for a moment.

A waiter came at that moment, holding a plate with her beef burger and fries. She smiled at the waiter, thanking him as he placed the plate in front of her. Beth made no move to touch the food.

Daryl nodded at the plate. "Steak'll take a while."

Beth didn't need telling twice. Her stomach had been unhappy since they'd gotten to that cabin hours earlier.

She had already finished all her fries by the time Daryl's steak arrived, and they ate for a time in silence.

"So…you must be busy, at the shop." Beth opined, in between mouthfuls of her burger.

Daryl nodded as he ate his steak, shovelling more food into his mouth.

"Is your brother away for a while?" She asked carefully, stopping to take a breath. She had basically inhaled her food so far and it was catching up with her.

She looked from her burger to Daryl, who was now chewing slowly.

Beth smiled nervously. "If you don't wanna talk about it you don't have to, I was just thinking it must be hard without him there," she shrugged, before taking another bite of the burger, even though she really didn't feel like it.

She finished off the burger around the same time Daryl finished his meal. He had really wolfed it down.

There was an awkward moment when they got the bill. Daryl insisted on paying, however Beth insisted that she pay for the meal, after all, it was the least she could do. While she was getting her wallet out of her pocket, Daryl just got up from the booth and walked away, carrying the bill with him.

Beth twisted around to see where he'd walked off to before quickly getting up to follow him. She found him at the front counter, already handing the money over.

"I could have paid," she admonished him as they walked outside to the motorcycle.

He unclipped the spare helmet, and held it out to her. "Simple 'thank you' would do," he stood up slowly. She reached for the helmet, but he didn't let go of it.

As he stared down at her, the butterflies flapped wildly against her ribcage.

"Thank you," she said finally, smiling when he rolled his eyes. He bent down to unclip his own helmet.

"Like blood from a stone," he drawled sarcastically, his eyes flickering with amusement, before he put his helmet on.

.

.

Daryl dropped her off at the gate. Beth didn't want him driving right up to the house in case her father had gone to sleep already, despite it still being only near 10 pm.

He killed the engine, taking off his helmet. "I'll sort somethin' out, message ya when I've got somethin' lined up."

Beth nodded.

He lifted his helmet up and paused, lowering it back down, seemingly examining it for a moment.

"It ain't hard."

"What?" Beth asked, edging closer.

"You asked before. 'Bout my brother. It ain't…it's easier. Clearer." Daryl looked at Beth, as if afraid of her judgment. She simply nodded in understanding, knowing that she didn't have to say anything. He started the engine up, putting his helmet back on.

She watched him drive away before turning to walk up to her house.

.

.

Beth awoke slowly with a wince, her eyelids fluttering as she shifted in the bed. Her phone was vibrating next to her and she grumbled, half asleep.

Beth fumbled around for her phone, staying under the covers.

She had walked in the door the night before to find Hershel reading in the living room. He hadn't looked up from his book, and Beth hovered in the hallway.

"Hi Daddy," she greeted him.

He closed his book gently. "Bethy. You all right?"

Beth walked over to him, smiling softly. "I'm fine," she said, giving him a peck on the cheek.

He smiled, visibly relaxing. "Everything check out?"

At this, Beth had tensed. She had ended up just saying the car had a couple of problems, before excusing herself hastily. She hadn't been able to fall asleep until much later that night.

Her hand landed on her phone and she dragged it over to her ear, answering it without looking at the display.

"Hello?" Her voice was thick with the residue of sleep.

"Oh, hey, did I wake you?"

Beth sat up slowly, glancing at her phone for a second. Vanessa.

"No it's all right," Beth replied. "How are you?"

"I'm…good, how are you?"

Even through her foggy mind, Beth could sense something was off. She rubbed her eyes, blearily contemplating the question for a moment.

"I'm ok," she offered, sinking back on to her pillow. There was a short pause.

"So…Austin was at the diner last night."

The words didn't register at first, and hung in the air for a moment before a bolt of fear ran through Beth.

"Austin?" She sat upright, her mind shifting into gear.

"Don't worry, he only told me," Vanessa placated her, "he knows how Shawn is."

Beth exhaled heavily, relieved. "There is nothing to tell. Seriously."

"You had dinner with Daryl Dixon, and there's nothing to tell?" Vanessa sounded incredibly incredulous.

Beth fell back on her pillow gracelessly with a thump. "If I tell you about last night, you promise not to tell anyone? Including Austin."

"Of course I promise!" Beth could hear the excitement in Vanessa's voice. She had a feeling she was expecting to hear something a bit different.

.

When Beth finished, Vanessa was silent for a long while.

"Wha…wow. Are you ok?"

"Yeah…I was just a bit shook up, s'all. Happened so fast."

"And you didn't call the police or anything?" Vanessa was starting to sound a little concerned.

"Have the police ever been on Daryl Dixon's side?" Beth asked, annoyance creeping into her tone. Everyone knew one of the police's favourite hobbies was breathing down the Dixon's necks.

Vanessa sighed. "No, I guess not. I don't really see what's wrong with telling Austin about that though."

"He'll tell Shawn. He doesn't like me hanging out with Daryl as it is," Beth explained.

"Oh…is that what you're doing? Hanging out?"

Beth bit her lip, rolling her eyes. "Ya know what I mean."

"Are you gonna be…_hanging out_ with him more often?" Beth could hear the full-blown amusement in Vanessa's voice now.

"I'm just kidding!" She laughed, when Beth didn't say anything.

"I gotta go…I'll talk to you later." Beth hung up, shaking her head with a wry smile. She always felt like she was right back in high school when she talked to Vanessa, freshman year.

She stretched as she got out of bed, thoughts of Daryl running through her mind. Leaping, somersaulting and barrelling through. Gosh, she was being silly. But the images kept flashing in her mind.

_Sunlight. Trees. Cemete- _No_. _

Beth drew a shaky breath.

_Sunlight. Flowers, clutched in his hands. Eyes, burning holes in her. Darkness. Flickering light. His jacket. His blood._

Light and dark, what he could be, and what he'd been forged into.

* * *

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has followed, favourited, read and reviewed! You guys are awesome.


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